TYPE AND USES OF ATTITUDE SCALES
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This document discusses different types of scales used to measure attitudes, including arbitrary scales, differential scales, summated scales, cumulative scales, and factor scales. Summated scales, also known as Likert-type scales, are the most commonly used as they are relatively easy to construct and considered reliable. Differential scales involve subjective judgements but are best for measuring a single attitude. Factor scales are developed through statistical techniques like factor analysis and include semantic differential scales and multidimensional scaling. Each scale type has advantages and limitations for measuring attitudes.
TYPE AND USES OF ATTITUDE SCALES
- 1. Types and Uses of Scales Submitted by Gopika.P. G 1 st M Ed Student
- 2. Introduction • • There is no sure method of measuring attitude; Only try to measure the expressed opinion, people’s real feelings or attitudes. With all these limitations in mind, psychologists and sociologists have developed several scale construction techniques for the purpose.
- 3. Different Scales for Measuring Attitudes of people • • • • • Arbitrary Scales Differential Scales Summated Scales Cumulative Scales Factor Scales
- 4. • • Arbitrary scales are designed largely through the researcher’s own subjective selection of items. The researcher first collects few statements or items which he believes are unambiguous and appropriate to a given topic and then people are asked to check in a list the statements with which they agree. Arbitrary Scales
- 5. Uses of Arbitrary Scales • • It can be developed very easily, quickly and with relatively less expense. It can also be designed to be highly specific and adequate.
- 6. Differential Scales(orThurstone- type Scales) • • The name of L.L. Thurstone is associated with differential scales which have been developed using consensus scale approach. Under such an approach the selection of items is made by a panel of judges who evaluate the items in terms of whether they are relevant to the topic area and unambiguous in implication.
- 7. • • To scale the statements through the method of equal appearing intervel where each subject is required to make only one comparitive judgements. The Thurstone method has been widely used for developing differential scales which are utilized to measure attitudes towards varied issues like war, religion, etc.
- 8. Uses of Differential Scales • • These scales are considered most appropriate and reliable when used for measuring a single attitude. The method is not completely objective; it involves ultimately subjective decision process.
- 9. Summated Scales (Likert-type Scales) • • • These are developed by utilizing the item analysis approach whrein a particular item is evaluated on the basis of how well it discriminates between those persons whose total score is high and those whose score is low summated scales consist of a number of statements which express either a favourable or unfavourable attitude towards the given object to which the respondent is asked to react. In this method response category often consists of numerical values 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. These five points constitutes a scale
- 10. • • Most frequently used summated scales in the study of social attitudes follow the pattern devised by Likert. For this reason they are often referred to as Likert-type scales. In a Likert scale, the respondent is asked to respond to each of the statements in terms of several degrees, usually five degrees (but at times 3 or 7 may also be used) of agreement or disagreement.
- 11. • 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The respondent may respond in any one of the following ways: strongly agree, agree, undecided, disagree, strongly disagree.
- 12. Uses of summated Scale • • • It is relatively easy to construct the Likert-type scale in comparison to Thurstone-type scale because Likert-type scale can be performed without a panel of judges. Likert-type scale is considered more reliable. It also provides more information and data than does the Thurstone-type scale. Likert-type scale takes much less time to construct, it is frequently used by the students of opinion research.
- 13. Cumulative scales or Louis Guttman’s scalogram • • Like other scales, it consist of series of statements to which a respondent expresses his agreement or disagreement. The special feature of this type of scale is that statements in it form a cumulative series,means that the statements are related to one another in such a way that an individual, who replies favourably to say item No. 3, also replies favourably to items No. 2 and 1, and one who replies favourably to item No. 4 also replies favourably to items No. 3, 2 and 1, and so on.
- 14. Guttman's Scalogram • The technique developed by Louis Guttman is known as scalogram analysis, or at times simply ‘scale analysis’. Scalogram analysis refers to the procedure for determining whether a set of items forms a uni dimensional scale.
- 15. Factor Scales • • Factor scales are developed through factor analysis or on the basis of intercorrelations of items which indicate that a common factor accounts for the relationships between items. An important factor scale based on factor analysis is Semantic Differential (S. D.) and the other one is Multidimensional Scaling.
- 16. Semantic differential scale: • • • • It developed by Charles E. Osgood, G.J. Suci and P. H. Tannenbaum (1957), is an attempt to measure the psychological meanings of an object to an individual. The semantic differential technique is meant for obtaining a person‟s psychological reactions to certain objects, persons or ideas under study The term semantic differential means a study of the differences in the psychological meanings of an object.
- 17. • • It consists of a number of bipolar adjectives each having seven equally spaced scale points. The respondent indicates an attitude or opinion by checking on any one of seven spaces between the two extremes.
- 19. Multidimensional scaling: • Multidimensional scaling (MDS) is relatively more complicated scaling device, but with this sort of scaling one can scale objects, individuals or both with a minimum of information.
- 20. Conclusion • There are Five types of scale techniques.But most frequently used scales are summated scales also called Likert - type scales.It is easy to construct and considered as more reliable.