Generally, the variable name is a composite of the variable stem (three letters), the item block (two digits), and the item number (two digits). Furthermore, depending on the person- or family-format of the data sets, person code letters in variable names indicate that proxy information is given from and/or about a certain family member (see chapter 3.2 for person codes).
Examples:
1. What information is in the variable name edu0100 in the ‘person format’ (‘long’ dataset)?
→ edu is the variable stem (type of education - self report), 0100 is ‘school attendance’
within the facet ‘type of education’.
→ pas is the variable stem (parental style - child report), the four digits 0100 are the
item number within the construct. In most cases , for s cale variables the first two
digits are the item block within the construct (01, parental style) and the last two
digits are the item number (00, shows affection); the variable extension m is the
person code (statement about the mother). Thus, this item as sesses the child’s rating
of parental style, more precisely on how much affection the parent, here the mother,
shows.
→ _s is the person code of the person who provides the information (sibling), _1 is the
data collection code (first data collection ). Thus, this item assesses the child’s rating of
parental style, more precisely on how much affection the parent (in this case mother)
shows - rated by the sibling in the first data collection.