This blog post is for my Comm 333 Persuasion course at Old Dominion University. The objective of this assignment is to analyze two types of attitude measurement scales. The two types of attitude measurement scales I will be analyzing are Likert scales and visually oriented scales. I will then see how these types of scales relate to persuasion theories like the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) and the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA).
Likert scales are typically 5–7 point scales that are used to measure attitudes, opinions, or feelings on a specific subject or issue. It consists of a series of questions or statements to which respondents are asked to express their level of agreement. You may be asked to fill out a Likert scale when completing a survey for a company to review a product or service. Visually oriented scales are a type of measurement scale that represents information by using images, icons, or symbols. These visual elements are used to convey information or help respondents express their opinions or feelings in a more intuitive and accessible way. You may find these types of scales in a hospital to express pain levels.
The main benefit of using a Likert scale in measuring attitudes is its ability to provide a standardized method for assessing opinions or feelings. Likert scales offer multiple response options, allowing the respondents to express the intensity of their attitudes, ranging from strong disagreement to strong agreement. The data gathered from these scales can be used to analyze and compare responses from multiple respondents. Companies who are conducting market research may use Likert scales to gauge the public response to new products. A common criticism of Likert scales is respondents may not answer honestly, and instead give answers based on what they believe are socially acceptable. This is known as social desirability bias. Social desirability bias happens when respondents give answers to questions that they believe others want them to give, often hiding their true feelings (Nikolopoulou, 2023).
When using ELM to analyze the Likert scale, we see that individuals may use central or peripheral processing when answering the questions. Central processing is when respondents carefully consider each question and give reasoned responses. Peripheral processing is when they give their responses without any deep thought, often relying on what they believe to be socially desirable (Hopper, 2019). TRA focuses on how attitudes and subjective norms influence behavioral intentions (Nickerson, 2023). Respondents may be influenced by what they believe to be socially acceptable, and researchers may need to consider that when analyzing the data from Likert scales.
The main benefit of using visually oriented scales is how intuitive and accessible measuring attitudes are. They are especially viable when respondents have limited cognitive abilities or a language barrier. As mentioned previously, visually oriented scales are popular in healthcare environments, where pain levels can be expressed by using facial expressions, ranging from smiles to crying. A common criticism of visually oriented scales is that they tend to oversimplify their responses, leaving the potential for important data to be missed.
When using ELM to analyze visually oriented scales, we see that receiver involvement can impact the responses given. When there is high receiver involvement, respondents are more likely to engage in central processing. When there is low receiver involvement, respondents are more inclined to use peripheral processing. Using TRA to analyze visually oriented scales shows us that respondents may give responses based on the pressure they feel from receiver involvement. This could also impact the accuracy of the results.
This assignment has taught me a lot about the different theories surrounding attitudes measuring scales. There are many external factors that can subconsciously influence your responses. The next time I participate in an attitude measurement scale, I will think back to this class and use the knowledge I gained here to give accurate results.
References
Nikolopoulou, K. (2023, March 24). What is social desirability bias? | Definition & Examples.
Hopper, E. (2019, July 3). What is the elaboration likelihood model in psychology?
Nickerson, C. (2023, October 16). Theory of Reasoned Action (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975).
Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/theory-of-reasoned-
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