Term
Definition
Chapter
Arbitrary scales
Universal practice of ad hoc scale development used by
instrument designers to create scales that is highly specific to the
practice or object being studied.
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Categorization
A type of scale in which the respondents put themselves or
property indicants in groups or categories.
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Central tendency
(error)
An error that results because the respondent is reluctant to give
extreme judgments, usually due to lack of knowledge.
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Comparative scale
A scale where the respondent evaluates an object against a
standard using a numeric, graphical, or verbal scale.
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Conjoint analysis
A technique that uses input from non-numeric independent
variables to secure part-worth's that represent the importance of
each aspect in the subject's overall assessment; used to measure
complex decision making (e.g. consumer purchase behaviour)
that requires multi attribute judgments; produces a scale value for
each attribute or property. See also factorial survey.
Consensus scaling
Scale development by a panel of experts evaluating instrument
items based on topical relevance and lack of ambiguity.
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Construct validity
The degree to which a research instrument is able to measure or
infer the presence of an abstract property. See also validity.
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Content validity
The degree to which a research instrument provides adequate
coverage of the topic under study. See also validity.
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Criterion-related
validity
The success of measures used for prediction or estimation; types
are predictive and concurrent. See also validity.
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Cumulative scaling
A scale development technique in which scale items are tested
based on a scoring system, where agreement with one extreme
scale item results also in endorsement of all other items that take
a less extreme position.
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Equal-appearing
interval scale
An expensive, time-consuming type of consensus scaling which
results in an interval rating scale for attitude measurement, a.k.a.
Thurston scale.
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Factor scales
Types of scales that deal with multidimensional content and
underlying dimensions, such as scalogram, factor, and cluster
analyses, and metric and non metric multidimensional scaling.
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Fixed sum scale
A scale where the respondent assigns mostly 100 points to
different continuous or discrete categories, e.g. how much time he
spends on average per day on specified activities, such as paid
working, commuting, child care, household work, leisure. It
generates interval data.
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Forced ranking
scale
A scale where the respondent orders several objects or properties
of objects; faster than paired comparison to obtain a rank order.
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Graphic rating scale
A scale where the ratter places his or her response along a line or
continuum; the score or measurement is its distance in millimetres
from either end point.
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Halo effect (error)
A systematic bias that the rater introduces by carrying over a
generalized impression of the subject from one rating to another.
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Internal
consistency
A characteristic of measurement in which an instrument measures
consistency among responses of a single respondent. See also
reliability
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Interval data
Data with order and distance but no unique origin; data which
incorporate equality of interval (the distance between one
measure and the next measure); e.g. temperature scale.
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Item analysis
scaling
Scale development where instrument designers develop
instrument items and test them with a group of respondents;
individual items are analysed to determine those, which highly
discriminate between persons or objects; e.g. Likert scale and
summated scale.
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Leniency (error)
An error that results when the respondent is consistently an easy
or reluctant rater, for example the rater is very optimistic in his
judgment, or very pessimistic.
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Likert scale
A variation of the summated rating scale, this scale asks a rater to
agree or disagree with statements that express either favourable
or unfavourable attitudes toward the object. The strength of
attitude is reflected in the assigned score and individual scores
may be totalled for an overall attitude measure.
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Mapping rule
Developing and applying a set of rules for assigning numbers to
empirical events.
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Measurement
Assigning numbers to empirical events in compliance with a
mapping rule.
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Multidimensional
scaling (MSD)
A scaling technique for objects or people where the instrument
scale seeks to measure more than one attribute of the
respondents or object; results are usually mapped; develops a
geometric picture or map of the locations of some objects relative
to others on various dimensions or properties; especially useful
for difficult-to-measure constructs.
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Multiple choicemultiple response
scale
Multiple choicesingle response
scale
A scale that offers respondent multiple options and solicits one or
more answers (nominal or ordinal data); a.k.a. checklist.
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A measurement question that poses more than two responses but
seeks a single answer, or one that seeks a single rating from a
gradation of preference, interest or agreement (nominal or ordinal
data); a.k.a multiple choice question.
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Multiple rating list
A numerical scale where raters circle their responses and the
layout allows visualization of the results (generates interval data).
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Nominal data
Data without the properties of order, distance, or origin but
capable of being partitioned into mutually exclusive and
collectively exhaustive categories.
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Numerical scales
A scale where equal intervals separate the numeric scale points,
while verbal anchors serve as labels for the extreme points.
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Objects
Concepts of ordinary experience, like people, books, autos,
genes, or peer-group pressures.
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Ordinal data
Data with order, but no distance or unique origin; data capable of
determining greater than, equal to, or less than status of a
property or an object.
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Paired-comparison
scale
The respondent chooses a preferred object between several pairs
of objects on some property; results in a rank ordering of objects.
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Practicality
A characteristic of sound measurement concerned with a wide
range of factors of economy, convenience, and interpretability.
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Properties
Characteristics of objects; a person's properties are his weight,
height, posture, hair colour, etc.
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Proximity
An index of perceived similarity or dissimilarity between objects.
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Ranking scale
A measurement approach that asks the respondent to make
comparisons among two or more objects or properties in relation
to each other using a numeric scale, thus providing a relative
order of those factors (ordinal or interval data). See also ranking
question.
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Rating scale
A measurement approach that asks the respondent to score an
object or property without making a direct comparison to another
object and thus position each factor on a companion scale, either
verbal, numeric, or graphic (ordinal or interval data). See also
rating question.
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Ratio data
Data with order, distance, equal intervals (distance), and unique
origin; numbers used as measurements have numerical value;
e.g. weight of an object.
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Reliability
A characteristic of measurement concerned with accuracy,
precision, and consistency; a necessary but not sufficient
condition for validity (if the measure is not reliable, it cannot be
valid, but reliable measures are not necessarily valid).
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Reliabilityequivalence
A characteristic of measurement in which an instrument can
secure consistent results with repeated measures by the same
investigator or by different samples.
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Reliability-stability
A characteristic of measurement in which an instrument can
secure consistent results with repeated measurements of the
same person.
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Respondent
Another term for a participant in a communication study.
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Scaling
The assignment of numbers or symbols to an indicant of a
property of objects to impart some of the characteristics of the
numbers to the property
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Scalogram
A procedure for determining whether a set of items forms a
unidimensional scale and is therefore appropriate for scaling
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Semantic
differential scale
A scale that measures the psychological meanings of an attitude
object and produces interval data; uses bipolar nouns, noun
phrases, adjectives, or nonverbal stimuli such as visual sketches.
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Simple category
scale
A scale with two response choices; a.k.a dichotomous scale.
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Stability
A characteristic of measurement in which an instrument can
secure consistent results with repeated measurements of the
same person. See also reliability.
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Stapel scale
A numerical scale with up to 10 categories (5 positive, 5 negative)
where the central position is an attribute. The higher the positive
number, the more accurately the attribute describes the object or
its indicant.
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Successive
intervals
Infrequently used process for ordering many objects where the
respondent groups objects on properties by allocating cards to
piles or groups representing a succession of values or importance
of properties.
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Unidimensional
scale
Instrument scale that seeks to measure only one attribute of the
respondents or object.
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Validity
A characteristic of measurement concerned that a test measures
what the researcher actually wishes to measure; that differences
found with a measurement tool reflect true differences among
respondents drawn from a population. See also construct validity,
content validity, criterion-related validity.
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