Methods of improving subjective measurement by a single judge

Abstract

SUMMARY ‘Measurement’ usually gives an impression of things being measured objectively, accurately and usually with the help of an instrument. However, this is not always possible. How does one measure the attitude of a government, strength of a tea blend or relative weights of different objectives? These can only be measured subjectively, by one or more experts or judges. When measurement is based on subjective evaluations by several judges, a method is required to combine them into a single judgement. Each method has its merits and demerits and the one most appropriate for a situation may be selected. When subjective measurement is made by a single judge, no one can alter it because the judge alone is authorised to evaluate. However, the problem arises when some of the inferences drawn from this judgement contradict each other. It has been widely accepted that this is a common problem and methods have been devised to bring about clarity and consistency in the judgement made by a judge. The work on this ...