How Do Respondents Attend to Verbal Labels in Rating Scales?

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftForschungsartikelBeigetragenBegutachtung

Beitragende

  • Natalja Menold - , Professur für Methoden der empirischen Sozialforschung, GESIS – Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften (Autor:in)
  • Lars Kaczmirek - , GESIS – Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften (Autor:in)
  • Timo Lenzner - , GESIS – Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften (Autor:in)
  • Ales Neusar - , Palacký University Olomouc (Autor:in)

Abstract

Two formats of labeling in rating scales are commonly used in questionnaires: verbal labels for end categories only (END form) and verbal labels for each of the categories (ALL form). We examine attention processes and respondents' burden in using verbal labels in rating scales. Attention was tracked in a laboratory setting employing eye-tracking technology. The results of the two experiments are presented: One applied seven and the other applied five categories in rating scales comparing END and ALL forms (n = 47 in each experiment). The results show that the ALL form provides higher reliability, although the probability that respondents attend to a verbal label seems to decrease as the number of verbally labeled categories increases.

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Seiten (von - bis)21-39
Seitenumfang19
FachzeitschriftField methods
Jahrgang26
Ausgabenummer1
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - Feb. 2014
Peer-Review-StatusJa

Externe IDs

Scopus 84891890293
ORCID /0000-0003-1106-474X/work/151436701

Schlagworte

Schlagwörter

  • Cognitive response process, Eye tracking, Labeling, Rating scales