Effects of Unbalanced Response Scales on Judgments of Social Stimuli

Abstract

The general purpose of the research was to determine if scale judgments of certain social stimuli would be differentially affected by the distribution of scale categories constituting the response scale. Previous research (Weiss & Hodgson, 1963) had demonstrated such an effect on judgments of neutral, physical stimuli. Two experiments were therefore conducted in which 72 and 248 college students judged the social prestige of 40 occupations. Ss used one of four types of scales: a 3-category balanced scale (+, 0, −), a 7-category balanced scale (+3 to −3), a 5-category unbalanced minus scale (+, 0, −1, −2, −3), or a 5-category unbalanced plus scale (+3, +2, +1, 0, −). The non-discriminating plus and minus categories were to be used for occupations that were above or below the average in prestige, regardless of how far above or below they might be. The zero category designated those average in prestige. And the discriminating plus or minus categories represented degrees of prestige above or below the average. The data revealed significant effects of the scales on the typical social prestige of occupations assigned to the ‘average’ category of judgment. Relative to the balanced scales, the unbalanced ones induced a shift in the prestige value of the ‘average’ category in the direction of the single, non-discriminating category. Relative to the 7-category balanced scale, the 3-category one produced a shift in the direction of the non-discriminating plus side. The data were interpreted primarily in terms of relationships between implicit category standards, latitudes of categories, and the distribution of the judged stimuli.