An attempt was made to ascertain a “psychological” scale for academic grades. Thurstonian pair-comparison scaling procedures were used. The judges were from a midwestern university and were employed in professorial positions. The developed psychological scale bore a logarithmic relation to the equal-interval grade-point-average scale (a 4-point scale). Plus- and minus-sign points, around letter grades, were seen as nonsymmetrical. Between-grade intervals were observed to be larger than were within-grade intervals.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BurrosR. H.The application of the method of paired comparisons to the study of reaction potential. Psychological Review, 1951, 58, 60–66.
2.
EdwardsA. L.Techniques of attitude scale construction. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1957.
3.
MostellerF.Remarks on the method of paired comparisons: III. A test of significance for paired comparisons when equal standard deviations and equal correlations are assumed. Psychometrika, 1951, 16, 207–218.
4.
PhillipsJ. P. N.On the presentation of stimulus-objects in the methods of paired comparisons. American Journal of Psychology, 1964, 77, 660–664.
5.
SinnettE. R.StoneL. A.Unequal equal intervals: a paradox in the measurement of intelligence. Psychological Reports, 1965, 17, 899–906.
6.
StevensS. S.Problems and methods of psychophysics. Psychological Bulletin, 1958, 55, 177–196.
7.
ThurstoneL. L.A law of comparative judgment. Psychological Review, 1927, 33, 273–286.
