The document discusses different types of measurement scales used in research. There are four main types of scales - nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio scales. Each scale has different properties in terms of description, order, distance and origin. Nominal scales only have the property of description, ordinal scales add the property of order, interval scales add the property of distance and ratio scales have all four properties including a true origin point. The appropriate statistical techniques that can be used depend on the level of measurement of the scale. Comparative and non-comparative scaling techniques are also discussed including paired comparison, rank order, constant sum and Q-sort scales.

1. MEASUREMENT AND SCALING

2. THE CONCEPT OF
MEASUREMENT AND SCALING
MEASUREMENT CAN BE DEFINED AS A
STANDARDIZED PROCESS OF ASSIGNING
NUMBERS OR OTHER SYMBOLS TO
CERTAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
OBJECTS OF INTEREST

3. RESEARCHERS ENGAGE IN USING THE
MEASUREMENT PROCESS BY ASSIGNING
EITHER NUMBERS OR LABELS TO
• PEOPLE’S THOUGHTS, FEELINGS, BEHAVIORS,
AND CHARACTERISTICS
• THE FEATURES OR ATTRIBUTES OF OBJECTS
• THE ASPECTS OF CONCEPTS / IDEAS
• ANY TYPE OF PHENOMENON OR EVENT USING
SPECIFIC RULES TO REPRESENT QUANTITIES
AND QUALITIES OF THE FACTORS BEING
INVESTIGATED

4. MEASUREMENT PROCESS
CONSISTS OF
1. CONSTRUCT DEVELOPMENT
TO PRECISELY IDENTIFY WHAT IS TO
BE MEASURED, INCLUDING ANY
DIMENSIONALITY TRAITS
2. SCALE MEASUREMENT
DETERMINE HOW TO PRECISELY
MEASURE EACH CONSTRUCT

5. SCALE MEASUREMENT
SCALING IS THE PROCESS OF CREATING A
CONTINUUM
OBJECTS ARE
LOCATED ACCORDING TO THE AMOUNT OF
THE MEASURED CHARACTERISTIC THEY
POSSESS
SCALE DEVELOPMENT IS
DESIGNING QUESTIONS TO MEASURE
THE SUBJECTIVE PROPERTIES OF AN OBJECT
ON WHICH

6. CHARACTERISTICS OF SCALES
•
•
•
•
DESCRIPTION
ORDER
DISTANCE
ORIGIN

7. DESCRIPTION
DESCRIPTION REFERS TO USE OF A
UNIQUE DESCRIPTOR, OR LABEL, TO
STAND FOR EACH DESIGNATION IN THE
SCALE.THIS PROPERTY ALLOWS A
RESEARCHER TO TAKE THE RESPONSES
AND CATEGORIZE THEM INTO MUTUALLY
EXCLUSIVE GROUPS EACH WITH ITS OWN
IDENTITY

8. ORDER
ORDER REFERS TO THE RELATIVE SIZES
OF THE DESCRIPTORS OR RELATIVE
MAGNITUDE BETWEEN THE
DESCRIPTORS, OR LABELS, USED AS
SCALE POINTS.
HERE THE KEY WORD IS ―RELATIVE’ AND
INCLUDES SUCH DESCRIPTORS AS
―GREATER THAN‖ ―LESS THAN‖ AND
―EQUAL TO‖

9. WHEN ORDER CHARACTERISTIC IS
INCORPORATED INTO SET OF SCALE POINTS,
IT ALLOWS THE RESEARCHER TO ESTABLISH EITHER
―HIGHEST TO LOWEST” OR ―LOWEST TO
HIGHEST‖ RANK ORDER AMONG THE NEW
RESPONSES
ORDER IDENTIFIES ONLY THE RELATIVE DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN THE RESPONSES AND NOT THE ABSOLUTE
DIFFERENCES

10. DISTANCE
A SCALE HAS THE CHARACTERISTIC
OF DISTANCE WHEN ABSOLUTE
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE
DESCRIPTORS ARE KNOWN AND MAY
BE EXPRESSED IN UNITS
WHEN THE CHARACTERISTIC OF
DISTANCE EXISTS WE ARE ALSO GIVEN
THE ORDER

11. ORIGIN
A SCALE IS SAID TO HAVE
CHARACTERISTIC OF ORIGIN IF THERE
IS A UNIQUE BEGINNING OR TRUE
ZERO POINT FOR THE SCALE THE
ORIGIN PROPERTY RELATES TO A
NUMBERING SYSTEM WHERE ZERO IS
DISPLAYED OR REFERENCED STARTING
POINT IN A SET OF POSSIBLE RESPONSES

12. EACH SCALING PROPERTY BUILDS ON
THE PREVIOUS ONE
THIS IMPLIES:
• ANY SCALE WILL HAVE DESCRIPTION
PROPERTY
• A SCALE THAT INCLUDES ORDER PROPERTY
AUTOMATICALLY POSSESSES DESCRIPTION
PROPERTY
• A SCALE HAVING DISTANCE PROPERTY,
HAS ORDER AND DESCRIPTION PROPERTIES
• THE SCALE THAT IS BUILD ON ORIGIN
PROPERTY ALSO HAVE DESCRIPTION,
ORDER, AND DISTANCE PROPERTIES

13. NOMINAL SCALE
NOMINAL SCALES ARE DEFINED AS
THOSE THAT USE ONLY LABEL;
THAT IS, THEY POSSESS ONLY THE
CHARACTERISTIC OF DESCRIPTION
THE RESPONSE DOES NOT INCLUDE
ANY LEVEL OF INTENSITY

14. EXAMPLES
•
•
•
•
•
DESIGNATIONS AS TO RACE, RELIGION,
TYPE OF DWELLING
GENDER
BRAND LAST PURCHASED
ANSWERS THAT INVOLVE YES-NO, AGREEDISAGREE
• OR ANY OTHER INSTANCE IN WHICH
DESCRIPTORS CAN NOT BE
DIFFERENTIATED EXCEPT QUALITATIVELY

15. NOMINAL- SCALED QUESTIONS
CHECK ALL THE BRANDS YOU
WOULD CONSIDER PURCHASING
I.
II.
III.
IV.
SONY
VIDEOCON
SAMSUNG
LG

16. DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT
―Youth prefers branded clothes‖?
AGREE
DISAGREE

17. WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING
SUPERMARKETS HAVE YOU SHOPPED IN
THE LAST 30 DAYS?
I. EBONY
II. STAR MALL
III. SAB MALL
IV. SHIPRA
V. SAHARA MALL

18. DO YOU LIKE OR DISLIKE
CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM?
I.
II.
LIKE
DISLIKE

19. ORDINAL SCALE
AN ORDINAL SCALE IS OBTAINED BY
RANKING OBJECTS OR ARRANGING THEM
IN ORDER WITH REGARD TO SOME
COMMON VARIABLE
THE QUESTION IS SIMPLY WHETHER EACH
OBJECT HAS MORE OR LESS THAN SOME
OTHER OBJECT
IT PERMITS THE RESEARCHER TO RANK
ORDER THE RESPONDENTS OR THEIR
RESPONSES

20. ORDINAL SCALE
THE RESEARCHER CAN RANK ORDER
THE RESPONSES INTO HIERARCHICAL
PATTERN
THIS SCALE DOES NOT ALLOW A
RESEARCHER TO DETERMINE THE
ABSOLUTE DIFFERENCE IN ANY OF THE
ORDINAL RELATIONSHIPS

21. ORDINAL- SCALED QUESTIONS
PLEASE RANK EACH BRAND IN TERMS OF YOUR
PREFERENCE
PLEASE PLACE “1”
BY YOUR FIRST CHOICE,
A “2”
BY YOUR SECOND CHOICE, AND SO ON
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
SONY
VIDEOCON
SAMSUNG
LG
BPL
PHILLIPS

22. INTERVAL SCALE
INTERVAL SCALES ARE THOSE IN WHICH
THE DISTANCE BETWEEN EACH
DESCRIPTOR IS KNOWN
IT DEMONSTRATES ABSOLUTE
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN EACH SCALE
POINT
THE DISTANCE IS NORMALLY DEFINED AS
ONE SCALE UNIT

23. INTERVAL SCALE
IN AN INTERVAL SCALE THE NUMBERS USED
TO RANK THE OBJECTS ALSO REPRESENT
EQUAL INCREMENTS OF THE ATTRIBUTE
BEING MEASURED THIS MEANS THAT
DIFFERENCES CAN BE COMPARED
THE LOCATION OF ZERO POINT IS NOT
FIXED, SINCE ZERO DOES NOT DENOTE
THE ABSENCE OF THE ATTRIBUTE
BOTH ZERO POINT AND UNITS OF
MEASUREMENT ARE ARBITRARY

24. INTERVAL – SCALED
QUESTIONS
PLEASE RATE EACH BRAND IN
TERMS OF ITS OVERALL
PERFORMANCE
•
•
BRAND
RATING (CIRCLE ONE)
VERY POOR
VERY GOOD
MONT BLANC
PARKER
CROSS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

25. INDICATE YOUR DEGREE OF AGREEMENT WITH
FOLLOWING STATEMENTS BY CIRCLING THE
APPROPRIATE NUMBER
•
•
•
•
•
STATEMENT
STRONGLY
AGREE
I ALWAYS LOOK FOR BARGAINS
1
I ENJOY BEING OUT DOORS
1
I LOVE TO COOK
1
2
2
2
3
3
3
4
4
4
STRONGLY
DISAGREE
5
5
5

26. IN A TYPICAL WEEK (7 DAY PERIOD),
HOW OFTEN YOU ACCESS INTERNET
FROM A HOME COMPUTER?
•
•
•
•
•
•
___ MORE THAN 20 TIMES
___16 TO 20 TIMES
___11 TO 15 TIMES
___6 TO 10 TIMES
___1 TO 5 TIMES
___DO NOT ACCESS IT

27. RATIO SCALE
RATIO SCALES ARE THE ONES IN
WHICH TRUE ZERO ORIGIN EXISTS—
SUCH AS
-ACTUAL NUMBER OF PURCHASES IN A
CERTAIN TIME PERIOD,
-RUPEES SPENT, MILES TRAVELED ETC.
THIS CHARACTERISTIC ALLOW US TO
CONSTRUCT RATIOS WHEN COMPARING
THE RESULTS OF MEASUREMENT

28. RATIO SCALE
A RATIO SCALE TENDS TO BE MOST
SOPHISTICATED SCALE IN THE
SENSE THAT IT ALLOWS THE
RESEARCHER NOT ONLY TO IDENTIFY
THE ABSOLUTE DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN EACH SCALE POINT
BUT ALSO TO MAKE ABSOLUTE
COMPARISONS BETWEEN THE
RESPONSES

29. RATIO-SCALED QUESTIONS
PLEASE INDICATE YOUR AGE
--- YEARS

30. APPROXIMATELY HOW MANY TIMES
IN THE LAST MONTH HAVE YOU
PURCHASED ANY THING OVER
Rs.1000 IN VALUE AT NANZ STORE?
0 1
2
3
4
5
MORE ( SPECIFY_ )

31. HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK A
TYPICAL PURCHASER OF A Rs. 5
LAKH TERM LIFE INSURANCE
POLICY PAYS PER MONTH THAT
POLICY?
Rs.__________

32. WHAT IS THE PROBABILITY THAT
YOU WILL USE A LAWYER’S
SERVICES WHEN YOU ARE READY
TO MAKE A WILL?
______PERCENT

33. TYPICALLY THE ISSUES LIKE
QUANTITY SOLD
NUMBER OF CONSUMERS
PROBABILITY OF PURCHASE ETC.
FORM RATIO SCALE MEASUREMENT

34. ASSESSING A RESPONDENT’S LIKING OF
SOFTDRINKS WITH SCALES
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING SOFT DRINKS ON THE
FOLLOWING LIST DO YOU LIKE? CHECK ALL THAT APPLY






COKE
THUMS UP
MOUNTAIN DEW
PEPSI
SEVEN UP
SPRTIE

35. PLEASE RANK THE SOFT DRINKS ON THE FOLLOWING LIST
ACCORDING TO YOUR DEGREE OF LIKING FOR EACH,
ASSIGNINIG MOST PREFERRED DRINK RANK=1 AND YOUR
LEAST PREFERRED DRINK RANK=6






COKE
THUMS UP
MOUNTAIN DEW
PEPSI
SEVEN UP
SPRTIE

36. PLEASE INDICATE YOUR DEGREE OF LIKING OF EACH OF
THE SOFTDRINKS ON THE FOLLOWING LIST BY CHECKING
THE APPROPRIATE POSITION ON THE SCALE
DISLIKE
A LOT
COKE
THUMS UP
MOUNTAIN DEW
PEPSI
SEVEN UP
SPRTIE
DISLIKE
LIKE
LIKE A LOT

37. PLEASE DIVIDE 100 POINTS AMONG EACH OF THE
FOLLOWING SOFT DRINKS ACCORDING TO YOUR DEGREE
OF LIKING FOR EACH






COKE
THUMS UP
MOUNTAIN DEW
PEPSI
SEVEN UP
SPRTIE

38. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCALES AND SCALING PROPERTIES
SCALING PROPERTIES
SCALE
NOMINAL
ORDINAL
INTERVAL
RATIO
DESCRIPTION
YES
YES
YES
YES
ORDER
NO
YES
YES
YES
DISTANCE
ORIGIN
NO
NO
YES
YES
NO
NO
NO
YES

39. Central Tendency
and Dispersion
• If a nominal scale is used, analysis of raw data can
only be done using modes and frequency
distributions
• If ordinal scales are used, analysis of raw data can
be done using medians and ranges (plus modes and
frequency distributions)
• If interval or ratio scales are used, analysis of raw
data can be done through the use of sample means
and estimated standard deviations as the sample
statistic (plus the above)

40. SCALE AND TYPE OF STATISTICAL
TECHNIQUES
SCALE
BASIC
CHARACTERISTICS
MARKETING PERMISSIBLE STATISTICS
EXAMPLES
DESCRIPTIVE
NOMINAL
NUMBERS
IDENTIFY AND
CLASSIFY
OBJECTS
BRAND
NUMBERS,
STORE TYPES
INFERENTIAL
PERCENTAGES
MODE
Chi-SQUARE
BINOMIAL TEST

41. DESCRIPTIVE
ORDINAL
NUMBERS
INDICATE THE
RELATIVE
POSITIONS OF
THE OBJECTS
BUT NOT THE
MAGNITUDE OF
DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN THEM
PREFERENCE
RANKINGS,
MARKET
POSITION,
SOCIAL
CLASS
PREFERENCE
FOR BRANDS
INFERENTIAL
PERCENTILE,
RANK ORDER
CORRELATION
FRIEDMAN
ANOVA
MEDIAN

42. DESCRIPTIVE
INTERVAL
DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THE
OBJECTS CAN
BE COMPARED;
ZERO POINT IS
ARBITRARY
ATTITUDES, OPTIONS,
INDEX NUMBERS
ATTITUDES TOWARDS
BRANDS
GRADE POINT
AVERAGE
RANGE
INFERENTIAL
PRODUCT
MOMENTCORRELATIONS
MEAN
t TESTS
STANDARD
DEVIATIONS
ANOVA
REGRESSION
ANALYSIS
FACTOR ANALYSIS

43. DESCRIPTIVE
RATIO
ZERO POINT IS FIXED;
RATIOS OF SCALE VALUES
CAN BE COMPUTED
AGE,
INCOME,
COSTS,
SALES,
MARKET
SHARES
NO. OF
PURCHASES
PROBABILITY
OF PURCHASE
GEOMETRIC
MEAN
INFERENTIAL
COEFFICIENT
OF VARIATION
HARMONIC MEAN

44. THE SCALING TECHNIQUES
• THE COMPARATIVE SCALES
• THE NON – COMPARATIVE SCALES

45. THE COMPARATIVE SCALES
COMPARATIVE SCALES INVOLVE THE DIRECT
COMPARISON OF STIMULUS OBJECT
IT IS A SCALE FORMAT THAT REQUIRES A
JUDGMENT COMPARING ONE OBJECT,
PERSON, OR CONCEPT AGAINST ANOTHER
ON THE SCALE
COMPARATIVE SCALE DATA MUST BE
INTERPRETED IN RELATIVE TERMS
AND HAVE ONLY ORDINAL OR RANK ORDER
PROPERTIES
FOR THIS REASON, COMPARATIVE SCALING IS
REFERRED TO AS NON-METRIC SCALING

46. TYPES OF COMPARATIVE SCALES
•
•
•
•
PAIRED COMPARISON
RANK ORDER
CONSTANT SUM
Q-SORT

47. PAIRED COMPARISON RATING
SCALE
THIS FORMAT CREATES A PRESELECTED GROUP OF TRAITS,
PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS OR
FEATURES THAT ARE PAIRED AGAINST
ONE ANOTHER INTO TWO GROUPS
RESPONDENTS ARE ASKED
TO SELECT WHICH IN EACH PAIR IS
MORE IMPORTANT TO THEM

48. A RESPONDENT IS PRESENTED WITH
TWO OBJECTS AND ASKED TO
SELECT ONE ACCORDING TO SOME
CRITERION
THE DATA OBTAINED ARE ORDINAL IN
NATURE
PAIRED COMPARISON SCALES ARE
FREQUENTLY USED WHEN STIMULUS
OBJECTS ARE PHYSICAL PRODUCTS

49. EXAMPLE:
WE GOING TO PRESENT YOU WITH
SEVERAL PAIRS OF TRAITS
ASSOCIATED WITH A
SALESPERSON’S ON-THE-JOB
ACTIVITIES
FOR EACH PAIR, PLEASE
INDICATE WHICH TRAIT YOU FEEL IS MORE
IMPORTANT FOR BEING A SALES PERSON

50. a. TRUST
b. COMPETENCE
a. TRUST
b. COMMUNICATION SKILLS
a. TRUST
b. PERSONAL SOCIAL SKILLS
a. COMPETENCE
b. COMMUNICATION SKILLS
a. COMPETENCE
b. PERSONAL SOCIAL SKILLS
a. COMMUNICATION SKILLS b. PERSONAL SOCIAL SKILLS

51. CONSTANT SUM SCALE:
THIS SCALE PROVIDES A BETTER
PERSPECTIVE OF DISTANCE BETWEEN THE
POINTS ON A CONTINUUM
WITH THIS TYPE OF SCALE, THE
RESPONDENT IS ASKED TO DIVIDE OR
ALLOCATE A NUMBER OF POINTS,
PERCENTAGES, OR RUPEES, USUALLY A
TOTAL SUM OF 100, TO INDICATE THE
RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF THE ATTITUDE
BEING STUDIED

52. CONSTANT SUM SCALE:
THE AMOUNTS THAT ARE ALLOCATED TO
EACH ALTERNATIVE INDICATES THE
RANKS ASSIGNED TO THEM BY THE
RESPONDENTS, BUT IT ALSO INDICATES
THE AMOUNT OF DIFFERENCE THE
RESPONDENTS SET BETWEEN EACH
ALTERNATIVE

53. IMPORTANCE OF BATHING SOAP ATTRIBUTES USING
A CONSTANT SUM SCALE
INSTRUCTIONS
BELOW ARE THE EIGHT ATTRIBUTES OF BATHING SOAPS
PLEASE ALLOCATE 100 POINTS AMONG THE ATTRIBUTES
SO THAT YOUR ALLOCATION REFLECTS THE RELATIVE
IMPORTANCE YOU ATTACH TO EACH ATTRIBUTE
THE MORE POINTS AN ATTRIBUTES RECEIVES, THE MORE
IMPORTANT IT IS
IF AN ATTRIBUTE IS NOT AT ALL IMPORTANT, ASSIGN IT
ZERO POINTS
IF AN ATTRIBUTE IS TWICE AS IMPORTANT AS SOME OTHER
ATTRIBUTE, IT SHALL RECEIVE TWICE AS MANY POINTS

54. •
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
AVERAGE RESPONSES OF THREE SEGMENTS
ATTRIBUTE
SEGMENT I
SEGMENT II
SEGMENT III
MILDNESS
8
2
4
LATHER
2
4
17
SHRINKAGE
3
9
7
PRICE
53
17
9
FRAGRANCE
9
0
19
PACKAGING
7
5
9
MOISTURIZING
5
3
20
CLEANING POWDER 13
60
15
SUM
100
100
100

55. EXAMPLE:
IF YOU HAD Rs. 1000 TO ALLOCATE TO THE FOLLOWING
CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS,
HOW WOULD YOU ALLOCATE YOUR MONEY? YOU MAY GIVE
ALL YOUR RUPEES TO ANY ONE ORGANIZATION, BUT YOUR
TOTAL MUST ADD UP TO Rs. 1000
INDIAN RED CROSS
____________
INDIAN CANCER FOUNDATION____________
INDIAN SPASTIC SOCIETY
____________
CRY
____________
HEART CARE FOUNDATION ____________
OLD AGE HOME
____________

56. RANK ORDER SCALE:
IN THIS SCALE OF MEASUREMENT THE
RESEARCHER USES RANKING QUESTIONS AS
THESE ARE CONSTRUED TO BE A FORM OF
OPINION QUESTIONS IN WHICH RESPONDENT
IS ASKED TO RANK COMPARATIVELY THE
ITEMS LISTED
THESE ALLOW THE RESPONDENTS TO
COMPARE THEIR OWN RESPONSES BY
INDICATING THEIR FIRST CHOICE, SECOND,
THIRD AND FOURTH PREFERENCES AND SO
FORTH, UNTIL ALL THE RESPONSES ARE
PLACED IN A RANK ORDER

57. RANK ORDER SCALING IS COMMONLY USED
TO MEASURE PREFERENCES FOR BRANDS
AS WELL AS ATTRIBUTES
RANK ORDER DATA ARE FREQUENTLY
OBTAINED FROM RESPONDENTS IN
CONJOINT ANALYSIS BECAUSE RANK –
ORDER SCALING FORCES THE
RESPONDENT TO DISCRIMINATE AMONG
THE STIMULUS OBJECTS

58. EXAMPLE:
QUESTIONNAIRE SEEKING DATA FOR A STAFF EXECUTIVE JOB
DESCRIPTION
IN YOUR JOB YOU MAY PERFORM ANY OF THE SEVEN
ROLES LISTED HERE. CONSIDER HOW MUCH TIME YOU
SPEND IN EACH ROLE. THEN RANK THE ROLES FROM 1 TO 7
IN TIME SPENT ON EACH. WRITE A '1' AFTER THAT GIVEN
THE MOST TIME-- AND A '7' AFTER THE LEAST TIME.
COORDINATOR
_______________________
ENTREPRENEUR ________________________
EXPEDITER
_______________________
EXPERT
_______________________
FORECASTER
_______________________
INNOVATOR
_______________________
INTEGRATOR

59. EXAMPLE:
INSTRUCTIONS:
 RANK THE VARIOUS BRANDS OF TOOTHPASTES IN ORDER OF
PREFERENCE
 BEGIN BY PICKING OUT THE ONE BRAND THAT YOU LIKE MOST
ASSIGN IT A NUMBER 1
 THEN FIND THE SECOND MOST PREFERRED BRAND AND ASSIGN
IT A NUMBER 2
 CONTINUE THE PROCEDURE UNTIL YOU HAVE RANKED ALL
BRANDS OF TOOTHPASTE IN ORDER OF PREFERENCE
 THE LEAST PREFERRED BRAND SHOULD BE ASSIGNED A RANK
OF 10
 NO TWO BRANDS SHOULD RECEIVE THE SAME RANK
 THE CRITERION OF PREFERENCE IS ENTIRELY UP TO YOU.
THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG ANSWER. JUST TRY TO BE
CONSISTENT

60. BRAND
COLGATE
CREST
AIM
CLOSE-UP
PEPSODENT
ULTRA BRITE
PLUS WHITE
STRIPE
GLEEM
MACLEANS
RANK ORDER
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________

61. NON COMPARATIVE SCALES
NON-COMPARATIVE SCALES REFER TO
A SCALE FORMAT THAT REQUIRES A
JUDGMENT WITHOUT REFERENCE TO
ANOTHER OBJECT, PERSON, OR
CONCEPT
THESE SCALES ARE ALSO REFERRED
TO AS MONADIC OR METRIC SCALES
THE RESULTING DATA ARE GENERALLY
ASSUMED TO BE INTERVAL OR RATIO
SCALED

62. TYPES OF NON- COMPARATIVE
SCALES
•
CONTINUOUS RATING SCALES
•
ITEMIZED RATING SCALES
I.
II.
III.
IV.
LIKERT SCALE
SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL SCALE
STAPEL SCALE
THURSTONE SCALE

63. CONTINUOUS RATING SCALE:
A SCALE MEASURE THAT USES A
SCALE POINT FORMAT THAT
PRESENTS THE RESPONDENT WITH
SOME TYPE OF GRAPHIC CONTINUUM
AS THE SET OF POSSIBLE
RESPONSES TO A GIVEN QUESTION
IT IS ALSO REFERRED TO AS GRAPHIC
RATING SCALES

64. RESPONDENTS RATE THE OBJECTS BY
PLACING A MARK AT THE APPROPRIATE
POSITION ON A LINE THAT RUNS FROM
ONE EXTREME OF THE CRITERION
VARIABLE TO THE OTHER
THE RESPONDENTS ARE NOT
RESTRICTED TO SELECTING FROM
MARKS PREVIOUSLY SET BY THE
RESEARCHER

65. THE FORM OF THE CONTINUOUS SCALE MAY
VARY CONSIDERABLY:
• THE LINES MAY BE VERTICAL OR
HORIZONTAL
• SCALE POINTS IN THE FORM OF NUMBERS
OR BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS MAY BE
PROVIDED
• AND IF PROVIDED, SCALE POINTS MAY BE
FEW OR MANY

66. ONCE THE RESPONDENT HAS
PROVIDED THE RATINGS, THE
RESEARCHER DIVIDES THE LINE INTO
AS MANY CATEGORIES AS DESIRED
AND ASSIGNS SCORES BASED ON
CATEGORIES INTO WHICH THE
RATINGS FALL
THESE SCORES ARE TREATED AS
INTERVAL DATA

67. EXAMPLE:
HOW WOULD YOU RATE RELIANCE
RETAIL AS A DEPARTMENT STORE?
VERSION 1
PROBABLY THE WORST---------------I---------------------------------------PROBABLY THE BEST

68. VERSION
2
PROBABLY THE WORST---------------I---------------------------------------PROBABLY THE BEST
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

69. VERSION
3
VERY BAD
NEITHER
VERY GOOD
GOOD NOR
BAD
PROBABLY THE WORST---------------I---------------------------------------PROBABLY THE BEST
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

70. ITEMIZED RATING SCALE:
THE ITEMIZED RATING SCALE IS,
PERHAPS, THE MOST FREQUENTLY
USED IN MARKETING RESEARCH
BECAUSE OF ITS SIMPLICITY AND
ADAPTABILITY TO MOST
MEASUREMENT SITUATIONS

71. THIS FORM OF RATING SCALE
REQUIRES A RESPONDENT
TO INDICATE HIS OR HER ATTITUDE
BY SELECTING A POSITION ON A
CONTINUUM THAT REFLECTS A
RANGE OF POSSIBLE VIEWS
REGARDING AN OBJECT

72. THE VARIOUS POSITIONS ON THE
CONTINUUM ARE SET UP IN A
SEQUENTIAL ORDER IN TERMS
OF THE SCALE POSITIONS
(IN OTHER WORDS, REPRESENTING
THE DEGREE OF ATTITUDE HELD)
THE SCALE POSITIONS ARE CLEARLY
MARKED WITH A DESCRIPTIVE
STATEMENT OF SOME KIND

73. TYPES OF ITEMIZED SCALES:
•
•
•
•
SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL SCALE
LIKERT SCALE
STAPEL SCALE
THURSTONE SCALE

74. SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL
SCALE:
A UNIQUE BIPOLAR ORDINAL SCALE
FORMAT THAT CAPTURES A
PERSON’S ATTITUDES OR FEELINGS
ABOUT A GIVEN OBJECT
THIS TYPE OF SCALE IS UNIQUE IN ITS
USE OF BIPOLAR ADJECTIVES AND
ADVERBS (GOOD/BAD, LIKE/DISLIKE,
COMPETITIVE/NONCOMPETITIVE,
HELPFUL/UNHELPFUL, ETC.)

75. IN SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL SCALE, THE
RESPONDENTS ARE ASKED TO EXPRESS
THEIR FEELINGS ABOUT WHATEVER BEING
EVALUATED BY RECORDING THEIR
RESPONSES ON A SCALE OF ADJECTIVES
(SUCH AS STRONG -- MILD), WHICH ARE
PAIRED POLAR OPPOSITES
THIS SCALE TYPE IS BEST FOR IDENTIFYING
A “PERCEPTUAL IMAGE PROFILE‖
ABOUT THE OBJECT OR BEHAVIOR OF
CONCERN

76. THE RESULTING DATA ARE COMMONLY
ANALYZED THROUGH PROFILE
ANALYSIS
MEANS OR MEDIAN VALUES ON EACH
RATING SCALE ARE CALCULATED AND
COMPARED BY PLOTTING STATISTICAL
ANALYSIS
THIS HELPS DETERMINE OVERALL
DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES
AMONG THE OBJECTS

77. TO ASSESS THE DIFFERENCES
ACROSS THE SEGMENTS, THE
RESEARCHER CAN COMPARE MEAN
RESPONSES OF DIFFERENT
SEGMENTS

78. IN CASES WHERE THE RESEARCHER
REQUIRES AN OVERALL
COMPARISON OF OBJECTS, SUCH AS
TO DETERMINE STORE
PREFERENCES, THE INDIVIDUAL
ITEMS ARE SUMMED TO ARRIVE AT
TOTAL SCORE

79. •
•
•
•
•
IT IS WIDELY USED IN COMPARING
BRANDS
PRODUCTS
COMPANY IMAGES
DEVELOP ADVERTISING AND
PROMOTIONAL STRATEGIES
NEW – PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
STUDIES

80. EXAMPLE:
THIS PART OF THE STUDY MEASURES
WHAT CERTAIN DEPARTMENT
STORES MEAN TO YOU
BY HAVING YOU JUDGE THEM ON A SERIES
OF DESCRIPTIVE SCALES BOUNDED AT
EACH END BY ONE OF TWO BIPOLAR
ADJECTIVES

81. • PLEASE MARK (X) THE BLANK THAT
BEST INDICATE HOW ACCURATELY
ONE OR THE OTHER ADJECTIVE
DESCRIBES WHAT THE STORE MEANS
TO YOU
• PLEASE BE SURE TO MARK EVERY
SCALE, DO NOT OMIT ANY SCALE

82. FORM
HARRODS IS:
POWERFUL -- -- -- -- -- -- --WEAK
UNRELIABLE -- -- -- -- -- -- --RELIABLE
MODERN
-- -- -- -- -- -- --OLD
FASHIONED
COLD
-- -- -- -- -- -- --WARM
CAREFUL
-- -- -- -- -- -- --CARELESS

83. THE ACTUAL DESIGN OF A SEMANTIC
DIFFERENTIAL SCALE CAN VARY
FROM SITUATION TO SITUATION

84. IF A RESEARCHER IS INTERESTED IN
DEVELOPING A CREDIBILITY SCALE
THAT COULD BE USED BY REVLON
TO ASSESS THE CREDIBILITY OF
SUSHMITA SEN AS A
SPOKESPERSON IN TV OR PRINT
ADVERTISEMENTS FOR REVLON
BRANDS OF GROOMING PRODUCTS

85. THE RESEARCHER DETERMINES
THAT THE CREDIBILITY CONSTRUCT
CONSISTS OF THREE FACTORS
• EXPERTISE
• TRUSTWORTHINESS
• ATTRACTIVENESS

86. WITH EACH FACTOR MEASURED
USING A SPECIFIC SET OF FIVE
BIPOLAR SCALES

87. EXAMPLE OF SEMANTIC
DIFFERENTIAL SCALE FORMAT FOR
SUSHMITA SEN AS A CREDIBILITY
SPOKESPERSON

88. NOW WITH RESPECT TO SUSHMITA SEN AS THE
SPOKESPERSON FOR REVLON GROOMING PRODUCTS,
WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW YOUR OPINION ABOUT THE



EXPERTISE,
TRUSTWORTHINESS,
AND ATTRACTIVENESS
THAT YOU BELIEVE SHE BRINGS TO THE ADVERTISEMENT
EACH DIMENSION HAS FIVE FACTORS THAT MAY OR MAY
NOT REPRESENT YOUR OPINION

89. FOR EACH LISTED FACTOR, PLEASE
CHECK THE POINT THAT BEST
EXPRESSES YOUR OPINION ABOUT
THE FACTOR

90. EXPERTISE:
1
KNOWLEDGEABLE
EXPERT
SKILLED
QUALIFIED
EXPERIENCED
2
3
4
5
6
7
UNKNOWLEDGEABLE
NOT AN EXPERT
UNSKILLED
UNQUALIFIED
INEXPERIENCED

91. TRUST WORTHINESS
1
RELIABLE
SINCERE
TRUSTWORTHY
DEPENDABLE
HONEST
2
3
4
5
6
7
UNRELIABLE
INSINCERE
UNTRUSTWORTHY
UNDEPENDABLE
DISHONEST

92. ATTRACTIVENESS
1
SEXY
BEAUTIFUL
ATTRACTIVE
CLASSY
ELEGANT
2
3
4
5
6
7
NOT SEXY
UGLY
UNATTRACTIVE
NOT CLASSY
PLAIN

93. EXAMPLE:
A SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL SCALE
FOR MEASURING
• SELF CONCEPTS
• PERSON CONCEPTS
• PRODUCT CONCEPTS

94. RUGGED
DELICATE
EXCITABLE
CALM
UNCOMFORTABLE
COMFORTABLE
DOMINATING
SUBMISSIVE
THRIFTY
INDULGENT
PLEASANT
UNPLEASANT
CONTEMPORARY
NON-CONTEMPORARY

95. ORGANIZED
RATIONAL
YOUTHFUL
FORMAL
ORTHODOX
COMPLEX
COLORLESS
MODEST
NO-ORGANIZED
EMOTIONAL
MATURE
INFORMAL
LIBERAL
SIMPLE
COLORFUL
VAIN

96. EXAMPLE Contd…
INDICATE YOUR IMPRESSION OF
BUKHARA RESTAURANT BY
CHECKING THE LINE
CORRESPONDING TO YOUR OPINION
FOR EACH PAIR OF DESCRIPTORS

97. Convenient location
High prices
For me
Warm atmosphere
Wide menu
Fast service
High quality food
A special place
inconvenient location
low prices
not for me
cold atmosphere
limited menu
slow service
low quality food
an every day place

98. A SURVEY CAN BE ORGANIZED
WHERE IN RESPONDENTS COULD BE
ASKED TO GIVE THEIR OPINION ON
THESE PARAMETERS FOR A SET OF
RESTAURANTS– LET US SAY
FRONTIER
TO BE COMPARED WITH
BUKHARA

99. A PERCEPTUAL DIAGRAM CAN BE
CONSTRUCTED THAT COULD GIVE US
AS TO
HOW
THE TWO RESTAURANTS ARE
PERCEIVED BY THE RESPONDENTS

100. Image Profile of Commuter Airlines versus Major Airlines
Source: J. Richard Jones and Sheila I. Cocke, “A Performance Evaluation of Commuter Airlines: The Passengers’
View,” Proceedings: Transportation Research Forum 22 (1981), p. 524. Reprinted with permission.

101. BRAND PROFILING – CAR CARE

102. A SIMILAR STUDY COULD BE
DESIGNED FOR IA AND
TRACKING
COULD BE UNDERTAKEN ON A REGULAR
INTERVAL - SAY AFTER EVERY THREE
MONTHS- TO HAVE A BETTER
UNDERSTANDING OF THE IA’S FLYERS

103. EXAMPLE:
 THE QUALITY OF FOOD
 CHECK IN FACILITIES
 CABIN CREW’S RESPONSE TIME
ETC.
CAN BE EVALUATED USING THIS
TECHNIQUE

104. A SAMPLE OF FLIERS CAN BE
REQUESTED TO RATE THE FOOD
QUALITY ON A SCALE OF 1
(EXTREMELY POOR) TO 7
(EXTREMELY GOOD)
THIS CAN BE COMPARED WITH THEIR
PERCEPTION OF IA’S COMPETITOR

105. THIS COULD BECOME A RELEVANT
INPUT IN DECISION MAKING PROCESS
FOR THE IA MANAGEMENT TO
IMPROVE ITS BRAND IMAGE

106. LIKERT SCALE
AN ORDINAL SCALE FORMAT THAT ASKS
THE RESPONDENTS TO INDICATE
THE EXTENT TO WHICH
THEY AGREE OR DISAGREE
WITH A SERIES OF
MENTAL BELIEF OR BEHAVIORAL BELIEF
STATEMENTS ABOUT A GIVEN OBJECT

107. THIS SCALE WAS DEVELOPED BY
RENSIS LIKERT AND IS WIDELY USED
RATING SCALE

108. IN THE LIKERT SCALE, THE MATTER
OF CHOOSING
OPPOSITE ADJECTIVES
IS AVOIDED
RATHER, IT MAKES A STATEMENT OR POSES ONE
DESCRIPTION
(OR ADJECTIVE) FOR WHATEVER IS BEING
EVALUATED

109. THE RESPONDENT IS THEN GIVEN A
SCALE WHOSE POSITION RANGE
FROM
―STRONGLY AGREE"
TO
―STRONGLY DISAGREE"

110. THEY ARE ALSO CALLED SUMMATED
SCALES BECAUSE THE SCORES ON
THE INDIVIDUAL ITEMS ARE SUMMED
TO PRODUCE A TOTAL SCORE FOR
THE RESPONDENT

111. A LIKERT SCALE USUALLY CONSISTS
OF TWO PARTS:
• ITEM PART
• EVALUATIVE PART

112. THE ITEM PART IS ESSENTIALLY A
STATEMENT ABOUT A CERTAIN
PRODUCT
EVENT
OR ATTITUDE

113. THE EVALUATIVE PART IS A LIST OF
RESPONSE CATEGORIES RANGING
FROM “STRONGLY AGREE” TO
“STRONGLY DISAGREE”

114. AN IMPORTANT ASSUMPTION OF THIS
METHOD IS THAT EACH OF THE ITEMS
(STATEMENTS) MEASURES SOME
ASPECT OF SINGLE COMMON
FACTOR

115. OTHERWISE, THE ITEMS CANNOT
LEGITIMATELY BE SUMMED
IN OTHER WORDS,
THE RESULTING SCALE IS UNI
DIMENSIONAL

116. TO CONDUCT THE ANALYSIS, EACH
STATEMENT IS ASSIGNED A
NUMERICAL SCORE, RANGING
EITHER FROM -2 TO +2 OR 1 TO 5

117. THE ANALYSIS CAN BE CONDUCTED
ON:
• AN ITEM BY ITEM BASIS (PROFILE
ANALYSIS)
• OR A TOTAL (SUMMATED) SCORE
CAN BE CALCULATED FOR EACH
RESPONDENT BY SUMMING UP
ACROSS ITEMS

118. EXAMPLE:
LET US LOOK AT A SET OF TEN
STATEMENTS WHICH REFLECT THE
ATTITUDE OF AN INDIAN AIRLINES
FLYER
WE LIKE TO EVALUATE THESE
STATEMENTS IN TERMS OF FLYER’
PERCEPTION ABOUT INDIAN AIRLINES

119. EACH STATEMENT SHALL BE EVALUATED
ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 5
1-STRONGLY DISAGREE
2-DISAGREE
3-NEITHER AGREE NOR DISAGREE
4-SOMEWHAT AGREE
5-STRONGLY AGREE

120. • IA IS ALWAYS ON TIME
• THE SEATS ARE VERY
COMFORTABLE
• I LOVE THE FOOD THEY PROVIDE
• THEIR AIR HOSTESSES ARE VERY
BEAUTIFUL
• MY BOSS/FRIEND FLIES WITH IA

121. • IA HAS YOUNGER AIRCRAFTS
• I GET ADVANTAGE OF FREQUENT FLIER
PROGRAM
• IT(THE FLIGHT TIMING) SUITS MY
SCHEDULE
• MY WIFE/MOM FEELS SAFE WHEN I FLY IA
• FLYING IA COMPLEMENTS MY LIFE STYLE
AND SOCIAL STANDING IN THE SOCIETY

122. A SAMPLE OF FLYERS CAN BE
REQUESTED TO BE A PART OF
SURVEY WHERE IN EACH OF THE
FLYER SHALL EVALUATE EACH
STATEMENT AND ASSIGN A VALUE
RANGING FROM 1 TO 5 DEPENDING
UPON HIS AGREEING OR
DISAGREEING WITH THE STATEMENT

123. THEN A SCORE CAN BE ARRIVED AT
FOR
- EACH INDIVIDUAL
- AND TOTAL SCORE GIVEN TO EACH
STATEMENT BY FLIERS

124. AND THE STATEMENTS HAVING
LOWER/ HIGHER SCORE REFLECT
THE PERCEPTION OF THE FLYER
ABOUT THE IA
ACCORDINGLY IA CAN REPOSITION IT
SELF VIS A VIS ITS COMETITORS

125. STAPEL SCALE:
THE STAPEL SCALE IS A
SIMPLIFICATION OF THE SEMANTIC
DIFFERENTIAL
DEVELOPED BY JAN STAPEL

126. UNIPOLAR SCALE WITH 10 CATEGORIES
NUMBERED FROM - 5 TO +5, WITHOUT A
NEUTRAL POINT (ZERO),
WITH VALUES PROGRESSIONS RANGING
FROM POSITIVE TO NEGATIVE WHICH
MEASURE DIRECTION AND INTENSITY
SIMULTANEOUSLY

127. USUALLY PRESENTED VERTICALLY
RESPONDENTS ARE ASKED TO
INDICATE THE OBJECT BY
SELECTING A NUMERICAL RESPONSE
CATEGORY

128. THE HIGHER THE POSITIVE SCORE,
THE BETTER THE ADJECTIVE
DESCRIBES THE OBJECT

129. THE MAIN VIRTUE OF THIS SCALE IS
THAT IT IS EASY TO ADMINISTER AND
CONSTRUCT BECAUSE THERE IS NO
NEED TO PROVIDE ADJECTIVES OR
PHRASES TO ASSURE BI-POLARITY

130. A Stapel Scale for Measuring a Store’s Image
Source: Dennis Menezes and Norbert F. Elbert, “Alternative Semantic Scaling Formats
for Measuring Store Image: An Evaluation,” Journal of Marketing Research, February
1979, pp. 80–87. Reprinted by permission of the American Marketing Association.

131. EXAMPLE:
APPLICATION OF STAPEL SCALE FOR THE RETAIL STORE
IMAGE STUDY
+5
+4
+3
+2
+1
WIDE
SELECTION
+5
+5
+4
+4
+3
+3
+2
+2
+1
+1
LESSER
HIGH
KNOWN
QUALITY
BRAND
-1
-1
-1
-2
-2
-2
-3
-3
-3
-4
-4
-4
-5
-5
-5
_____________________________________________

132. EXAMPLE : BANK STUDY
-5 -4 -3 -2 -1 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5
SERVICE IS COURTEOUS
LOCATION IS CONVENIENT
HOURS ARE CONVENIENT
LOAN INTERSET RATES ARE HIGH

133. Summary of Advantages and Disadvantages of Rating Scales

134. SORTING
Sorting Tasks
– Require that respondents indicate their attitudes or beliefs by arranging
items on the basis of perceived similarity or some other attribute.
Example:
Here is a sheet that lists several airlines. Next to the name of each airline is a pocket.
Here are ten cards. I would like you to put these cards in the pockets next to the
airlines you would prefer to fly on your next trip. Assume that all of the airlines fly to
wherever you would choose to travel. You can put as many cards as you want next
to an airline, or you can put no cards next to an airline.
Cards
American Airlines_____
Delta Airlines
_____
United Airlines _____
Southwest Airlines_____
Northwest Airlines_____