Linearity, symmetry, and equidistance in semantic differential scales for measuring images of self and images of others

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Violations of linearity, symmetry, and equidistance of scale points in semantic differential scales may be due to respondents failing to figure out antonyms, to a positivity bias, or to respondents curtailing their reading the options. Multiple correspondence analysis on data provided by a randomized between-subjects experiment (split-ballot), using a web survey of 537 German residents, shows that bipolar semantic differential scales allow for linear measurement and conceal no positivity bias, and that using not suitable adjective pairs in semantic differential scales destroys symmetry.

Details

Original languageGerman
Pages (from-to)82-98
Number of pages17
JournalMathematical population studies : an international journal of mathematical demography
Volume25
Issue number2
Publication statusPublished - 2018
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85051083758
ORCID /0000-0003-1106-474X/work/151436722

Keywords

Keywords

  • Semantic differential scales, Bipolar rating scales, Equidistance, Linearity, Multiple correspondence analysis, Positivity bias, Symmetry