Scale Development

3 Self-Report Approaches

• Questionnaire

• Item

• Interview

Item

Prompt that leads a participant to provide an answer, rating, or other verbal response

Why are interviews useful?

To ensure comprehension

Interview Schedule 

Series of questions used in an interview 

How to make interviews more effective

• Create a friendly atmosphere 

• Maintain a attitude of interest 

• Conceal personal reactions to respondents answers 

• Order sections of the interview to build rapport and create a logical sequence 

• Ask questions exactly as they’re worded

• Don’t lead the respondent 

Response Formats

• Visual Analog

• Likert Scale

Visual Analog

Continuous line between a pair of descriptors

Likert Scale

Declarative sentence with various response options depending on the research questions 

Characteristics of Good Items

• Clarity (not too long, avoid multiple negatives)

• 5th-7th grade reading level

• Specific and precise when phrasing items

• Conditional information should precede key idea of item

• Do not use double-barreled items

Double-Barreled Items

Asks about two separate things - don’t use these!

Ex. Did you like watching DWTS and New Girl?

What should come first in an item: conditional information or the key idea of the item?

Conditional information 

(Negatively/Positively) worded items represent low levels or absence of a construct.

Negatively

Mutli-item Scale

Set of items used together to assess the same construct.

What are ways a researcher can ensure their items are a good measure of the construct they’re researching?

• Have items reviewed by experts

• Pilot test with a sample of people 

• Test item performance 

• Reliability 

• Validity 

• Optimize scale length