Scaling: A Sourcebook for Behavioral Scientists

Description

Despite the obvious importance of measurement in any scientific endeavor, few students of the social sciences receive adequate training in the principles and problems of assigning numerical values to the subjects, objects, events, groups and operations they study, and still less in the process of translating theoretical ideas and concepts into variables. This kind of casualness with respect to... Read more

Despite the obvious importance of measurement in any scientific endeavor, few students of the social sciences receive adequate training in the principles and problems of assigning numerical values to the subjects, objects, events, groups and operations they study, and still less in the process of translating theoretical ideas and concepts into variables. This kind of casualness with respect to measurement is often in marked contrast to their methodically designed research, which has grown out of subtle and sophisticated theoretical consideration.

Scaling is intended to remedy this deficiency by providing a broad and detailed description of the major processes for developing measurement scales. The chapters, which include both classics in the field and the best of modern work, require no great mathematical sophistication, and go well beyond the conventional study of attitudes to the more general uses of scaling. They enable the student and researcher to examine the development of measures of scalability and the problems and weaknesses they present, to become familiar with the development of tests of significance for reproducibility and scalability and the need for them, and to examine the lively history of the subject and experience the excitement that can be secured from sharing with a creative author the first report of his insight.

Part One presents a series of general articles that deal in philosophic terms with the problem of measurement, with what is meant by measurement and scaling as well as the notions underlying the process of measuring. Part Two deals with the scaling methods developed by L. L. Thurstone, including paired comparison scaling, equal-appearing interval scaling, and successive interval scaling. The third part focuses upon scalogram analysis, presenting the background, rationale and procedures for Guttman scaling. The fourth part is concerned with summated rating, or Likert scaling. Part Five is a consideration of unfolding theory and methods. Part Six is made up of articles that focus on various special cases and problems relevant to scaling. The book also contains an unusually full reference bibliography and a set of convenient reference tables associated with the development and use of measurement scales.

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I: Measurement and Scaling; 1: Measurement; 2: Measurement; 3: Measurement Scales and Statistical Models; II: Thurstonian Methods; 4: Psychophysical Analysis; 5: A Law of Comparative Judgment; 6: Paired Comparison Scaling Procedures; 7: Circular Triads, the Coefficient of Consistence, and the Coefficient of Agreement; 8: Optimal Orders in the Method of Paired Comparisons; 9: Paired Comparison Attitude Scales; 10: The Method of Equal-Appearing Intervals; 11: The Method of Successive Intervals; III: Scalogram Analysis; 12: An Overview of the Contributions to Scaling and Scale Theory; 13: The Basis for Scalogram Analysis; 14: Measurement of Reproducibility; 15: A Note on Statistical Significance of Scalogram; 16: Computer Generated Data and the Statistical Significance of Scalogram; 17: A Review and Comparison of Simple Statistical Tests for Scalogram Analysis; 18: A Note of Extreme Caution on the Use of Guttman Scales; IV: Summated Rating Methods; 19: The Method of Constructing an Attitude Scale; 20: Criteria for an Attitude Scale; 21: A Note on the Scale Product and Related Methods of Scoring Attitude Scales; 22: A Comparison of Four Methods of Scoring an Attitude Scale in Relation to its Reliability and Validity; V: Unfolding Theory; 23: Some Aspects of the Metatheory of Measurement; 24: Psychological Scaling without a unit of Measurement; 25: A Real Example of Unfolding; 26: Some Applications of Unfolding Theory to Fertility Analysis; VI: Related Materials; 27: A Technique for the Construction of Attitude Scales; 28: A Technique for Improving Cumulative Scales; 29: A Scale for Developmental Processes; 30: The Assignment of Numbers to Rank Order Categories; 31: On the Statistical Treatment of Football Numbers

Author(s)

Biography

Gary Maranell

Scaling A Sourcebook for Behavioral Scientists

Description

Table of Contents

Author(s)

Biography

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