Splashing could be caused by many things. As you've already mentioned, sometimes the taller pull-down faucets cause more splashing. Also, where the faucet hits the bottom of the sink can cause splashing--ideally it's nice if the faucet flows directly over and into the drain, but that is not always possible. You can look at specs online to find out the reach of the faucets you are interested in, and see how close they would be over your drain. Sometimes we've seen faucet heads on pull-downs that angle inwards slightly, i.e. toward the back of the sink, and those splash (someone posted about this issue for the Grohe Ladylux3 faucet). While some people think that a very deep sink will have more splashing, others think that a deeper sink will contain the splashing better, so that's a tough one. Generally, pull-out faucets splash less, but some pull-out faucets splash too.

If there is a specific faucet you like, try posting about it on this forum and seeing if anyone has it and can say whether it splashes or not.

This was a huge problem for me in my old kitchen. I hated the splashing. I think mine was a combination of pull down faucet height and pressure of the water coming from the faucet.

Well, as of yesterday my problem has been solved with my new faucet. The plumber installed a Price Pfister Hanover with an adjustable pressure sprayer that hangs lower than my previous faucet did. I used it last night and this morning....and no more splashing.

My husband is disappointed that the water pressure is no longer like shooting a class 5 rapids but he will get over it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Price Pfister Hanover

As others have said (or implied), there's no "main reason" for splashing, it's a combination of several factors:
Distance from faucet head to bottom of sink -- combination of sink depth & height of faucet head
Where the water hits the sink
How you use it -- e.g., putting something under the flow of water that's above the sink (i.e., your hands or dish are above the top of the sink when you put them under the flow of water)
Water pressure
Containment -- how well your sink contains the splashes (assuming the water is meeting an object inside the sink!)

There's also the factor of how much splashing is too much...tolerances vary. If you have a window nearby and very little distance b/w the window & faucet, then your tolerance will probably be lower than someone who has a wall that doesn't show the splashes or a window well that puts the window far enough back that it isn't splashed. Also, your countertop material...if it shows water spots more readily you'll probably have a lower tolerance for splashing.

I have to differ about the distance, except perhaps as a factor that affects flow rate and water pressure.

As far as I can tell, the main cause of splashing is power of stream and shape of the surface it hits. The former for the reason that a greater amount of power (pressure) and volume (amount of water in the cross section of the flow) mean more water that hits and has to go somewhere, and more rebound power for the somewhere to be up. The latter because the shape of the surface will determine the direction that the bounce will take. My friend has a sink in which, with the faucet in certain positions, the water doesn't splash--it fountains gracefully up and all over the person standing in front of the sink!! This is entirely due to the curvature of the sink. Celery does this too!

I agree with Buehl about the rest.