Question

Explain comparative and non-comparative scaling. Discuss any two types of non-comparative scaling techniques with examples.

Answer 1

Comparative and non-comapraitive scaling are scaling techniques which are used in research. In comparative scale, two item are directly compared with each other, these scale are in rank order or ordinal scale. For Ex. We could ask if a person likes to stay at home or go outside and travel. Non comparative scaling involves evaluation of only one particular item and independent of all the other items. For Ex. Asking people about their experiences of being in a stressful situation.

Types of non comparative scale :

i. Likert scale - Participants are asked to respond on a likert scale, which is usually a five point scale from one to five. For Example- "How often do you feel happy." 1 being never and 5 being always.

ii. Semantic Differentiation scale - Respondents are given two contrasting choices from which to chose after a question. For Example- "Usually i respond to challenging situations situation - Calmly/Emotionally."