Data from 2-, 3-, 6-, and 7-point rating scales were analyzed to determine whether scale length affected response patterns. The results of this study indicate that data configurations are relatively invariant with changes in number of scale points.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Bendig, A. W.Reliability and the number of rating scale categories. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1954, 38, 38-40.
2.
Finn, R. H.Effects of some variations in rating scale characteristics on the means and reliabilities of ratings. EDUCATIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT, 1972, 32, 255-265.
3.
Green, P. E. and Rao, V. R.Rating scales and information recovery— How many scales and response categories to use?Journal of Marketing , 1970, 34, 33-39.
4.
Harman, H. M.Modern factor analysis (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1967.
5.
Komorita, S. S. and Graham, W. K.Number of scale points and the reliability of scales . EDUCATIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT, 1965, 25, 987-995.
6.
Kruskal, J. B.Nonmetric multidimensional scaling: A numerical method. Psychometrika, 1964, 29, 115-129.
7.
Matell, M. S. and Jacoby, J.Is there an optimal number of alternatives for Likert scale items? Study I: Reliability and validity. EDUCATIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT, 1971, 31, 657-674.
8.
Matell, M. S. and Jacoby, J.Is there an optimal number of alternatives for Likert-scale items? Effects of testing time and scale properties. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1972, 56, 506-509.
9.
Nunnally, J. C.Psychometric theory. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967.
10.
Tucker, L. R.A method for synthesis of factor analysis studies. Personnel Research Section report, No. 984. Washington, D. C.: Department of the Army , 1951.
