Chapter 12
MEASUREMENT SCALES
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Copyright © 2014 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Learning Objectives
Understand…
 The nature of attitudes and their relationship to
behavior.
 The critical decisions involved in selecting an
appropriate measurement scale.
 The characteristics and use of rating, ranking,
sorting, and other preference scales.
12-2
Pull Quote
“No man learns to know his inmost nature by
introspection, for he rates himself sometimes too
low, and often too high, by his own measurement.
Man knows himself only by comparing himself with
other men; it is life that touches his genuine
worth.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
German writer, artist, politician
(1749–1832)
12-3
The
Scaling
Process
12-4
Nature of Attitudes
Cognitive
I think oatmeal is healthier
than corn flakes for breakfast.
Affective
I hate corn flakes.
Behavioral
I intend to eat more oatmeal
for breakfast.
12-5
Improving Predictability
Specific
Multiple
measures
Strong
Factors
Reference
groups
Direct
Basis
12-6
Measurement Scales
“All survey questions must be actionable
if you want results.”
Frank Schmidt, senior scientist
The Gallup Organization
12-7
Selecting a Measurement Scale
Research objectives
Response types
Data properties
Number of
dimensions
Balanced or
unbalanced
Forced or unforced
choices
Number of
scale points
Rater errors
12-8
Response Types
Rating scale
Ranking scale
Categorization
Sorting
12-9
Number of Dimensions
Unidimensional
Multi-dimensional
12-10
Balanced or Unbalanced
How good an actress is Jennifer Lawrence?
Very bad
Bad
Neither good nor bad
Good
Very good
Poor
Fair
Good
Very good
Excellent
12-11
Forced or Unforced Choices
How good an actress is Jennifer Lawrence?
Very bad
Bad
Neither good nor bad
Good
Very good
Very bad
Bad
Neither good nor bad
Good
Very good
No opinion
Don’t know
12-12
Number of Scale Points
How good an actress is Jennifer Lawrence?
Very bad
Bad
Neither good nor bad
Good
Very good
Very bad
Somewhat bad
A little bad
Neither good nor bad
A little good
Somewhat good
Very good
12-13
Rater Errors
• Adjust strength of
descriptive adjectives
• Space intermediate
Error of
central tendency
Error of leniency
descriptive phrases
farther apart
• Provide smaller
differences in meaning
between terms near the
ends of the scale
• Use more scale points
12-14
Rater Errors
Primacy Effect
Recency Effect
Reverse order of
alternatives periodically
or randomly
12-15
Rater Errors
• Rate one trait
at a time
Halo Effect
• Reveal one trait
per page
• Reverse anchors
periodically
12-16
Simple Category Scale
I plan to purchase a MindWriter laptop in
the next 12 months.
 Yes
 No
12-17
Multiple-Choice,
Single-Response Scale
What newspaper do you read
most often for financial news?
 East City Gazette
 West City Tribune
 Regional newspaper
 National newspaper
 Other (specify:_________)
12-18
Multiple-Choice,
Multiple-Response Scale
Check any of the
sources you
consulted when
designing your new
home.
 Online planning
services
 Magazines
 Independent
contractor/builder
 Designer
 Architect
 Other
(specify:_______)
12-19
Likert Scale
The Internet is superior to
traditional libraries for
comprehensive searches.
 Strongly Disagree
 Disagree
 Neither Agree nor
Disagree
 Agree
 Strongly Agree
12-20
Semantic Differential
12-21
Adapting SD Scales
Convenience of Reaching the Store from Your Location
Nearby
___: ___: ___: ___: ___: ___: ___:
Distant
Short time required to reach store
___: ___: ___: ___: ___: ___: ___:
Long time required to reach store
Difficult drive
___: ___: ___: ___: ___: ___: ___:
Easy Drive
Difficult to find parking place
___: ___: ___: ___: ___: ___: ___:
Easy to find parking place
Convenient to other stores I shop
___: ___: ___: ___: ___: ___: ___:
Inconvenient to other stores I shop
Products offered
Wide selection of different
kinds of products
___: ___: ___: ___: ___: ___: ___:
Limited selection of different
kinds of products
Fully stocked
___: ___: ___: ___: ___: ___: ___:
Understocked
Undependable products
___: ___: ___: ___: ___: ___: ___:
Dependable products
High quality
___: ___: ___: ___: ___: ___: ___:
Low quality
Numerous brands
___: ___: ___: ___: ___: ___: ___:
Few brands
Unknown brands
___: ___: ___: ___: ___: ___: ___:
Well-known brands
12-22
SD Scale for Analyzing Actor Candidates
12-23
Graphic
of SD
Analysis
12-24
Numerical Scale
12-25
Multiple Rating List Scales
“Please indicate how important or unimportant each service characteristic is:”
IMPORTANT
Fast, reliable repair
7
Service at my location
7
Maintenance by manufacturer
7
Knowledgeable technicians
7
Notification of upgrades
7
Service contract after warranty
7
6
6
6
6
6
6
5
5
5
5
5
5
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
UNIMPORTANT
1
1
1
1
1
1
12-26
Stapel Scales
12-27
Constant-Sum Scales
12-28
Graphic Rating Scales
12-29
Ranking Scales
Paired-comparison scale
Forced ranking scale
Comparative scale
12-30
Paired-Comparison Scale
12-31
Forced Ranking Scale
12-32
Comparative Scale
12-33
Sorting
12-34
CloseUp:
MindWriter Scaling
Likert Scale
The problem that prompted service/repair was resolved
Strongly
Disagree
1
Disagree
Neither Agree
Nor Disagree
Agree
Strongly
Agree
2
3
4
5
Numerical Scale (MindWriter’s Favorite)
To what extent are you satisfied that the problem that prompted service/repair was resolved?
Very
Dissatisfied
1
Very
Satisfied
3
2
4
5
Hybrid Expectation Scale
Resolution of the problem that prompted service/repair.
Met Few
Expectations
Met Some
Expectations
Met Most
Expectations
Met All
Expectations
Exceeded
Expectations
1
2
3
4
5
12-35
CloseUp: MindWriter Scaling
12-36
Ideal Scalogram Pattern
Item
2
4
1
3
X
X
X
X
__
X
X
X
__
__
X
X
__
__
__
X
__
__
__
__
Participant
Score
4
3
2
1
0
* X = agree; __ = disagree.
12-37
Key Terms
 Attitude
 Forced-choice rating
 Balanced rating scale
 Categorization

 Comparative scale

 Constant-sum scale

 Cumulative scale

 Error of central tendency

 Error of leniency

scale
Forced ranking scale
Graphic rating scale
Halo effect
Item analysis
Likert scale
Multidimensional scale
12-38
Key Terms
 Multiple-choice,




multiple-response scale
Multiple-choice,
single-response scale
Multiple rating list
Numerical scale
Paired-comparison scale
 Q-sort
 Ranking scale
 Rating scale
 Scaling
 Scalogram analysis
 Semantic differential
 Simple category scale
12-39
Key Terms
 Sorting
 Unbalanced rating scale
 Stapel scale
 Unforced-choice rating
 Summated rating scale
scale
 Unidimensional scale
12-40
Chapter 12
ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION OPPORTUNITIES
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Copyright © 2014 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
PicProfile:
i.Think
Online focus groups
Candid thoughts
Moderator selection is critical
12-42
PicProfile: Online Surveys
12-43
PicProfile: Snausages Breakfast Bites
Social media discussions
Invited dog lovers
“What does your dog eat for
breakfast?”
Dog Lovers care about
nutritional content of pet food.
12-44
Snapshot: Maritz Customer Satisfaction
New non-compensatory model
Scale overall satisfaction first
Then scale individual attributes
What attribute made experience so
good/bad as to offset all others?
12-45
Snapshot: Paired Comparison
“We now estimate that Americans
with disabilities currently spent
$13.2 billion in travel expenditures
and that amount would at least
double [to $27.2 billion] if travel
businesses were more attuned to
the needs of those with
disabilities.”
12-46
Galaxy…Teen Shopping
Study on teen shopping
Compete with specialty stores
Intra-store boutiques?
What scale?
12-47
Pull Quote
“Any measurement must take into account the
position of the observer. There is no such thing
as measurement absolute, there is only
measurement relative.”
Jeanette Winterson
journalist and author
12-48
PulsePoint: Research Revelation
34
The percent of workers who
are considered truly loyal.
12-49
Chapter 12
MEASUREMENT SCALES
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Copyright © 2014 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Photo Attributions
Slide Source
5 ©liquidlibrary/Picturequest
10 Steve Cole/Getty Images
17 Ryan McVay/Getty Images
18 Ingram Publishing
19 Jupiterimages
20 wavebreakmedia Ltd/Getty Images
21 Getty Images/Digital Vision
25 ©Digital Vision/Getty Images
26 Juice Images/Cultura/Getty Images
Slide Source
28 DreamPictures/Shannon Faulk/Getty
Images
29 Jerry Ballard/Alamy
42 Courtesy of iThink
43 ©Pamela S. Schindler
44 Royalty-Free/Corbis
45 Thinkstock Images/Getty Images
46 JUPITERIMAGES/Creatas/Alamy
47 ©Fancy Collection/SuperStock
12-51