According to the text, comparative scaling is sometimes referred to as __.
A) metric scaling
B) random scaling
C) monadic scaling
D) nonmetric scaling
E) none of the above
The correct answer and explanation is :
The correct answer is: D) nonmetric scaling
Explanation (300 words):
Comparative scaling is a technique used in marketing research and psychometrics to measure preferences, attitudes, or perceptions by asking respondents to compare two or more items directly. This is different from non-comparative scaling, where respondents evaluate each item independently, often using a rating scale.
Comparative scaling is sometimes referred to as nonmetric scaling because the data it produces is typically ordinal rather than interval or ratio in nature. In other words, it ranks items relative to each other but does not indicate the magnitude of difference between them. Since comparative scaling focuses on relative judgments rather than absolute measurements, it doesn’t rely on the numerical precision required in metric (quantitative) scaling.
Nonmetric scaling methods analyze the order of preferences without assuming equal intervals between ranks. A common example is paired comparison scaling, where a respondent is presented with two items and asked to choose one over the other. Another is rank order scaling, where several items are ranked from most to least preferred. The data from these techniques can be analyzed using nonmetric multidimensional scaling (MDS), a method that maps out preferences in geometric space based on similarity or dissimilarity judgments.
On the contrary, metric scaling assumes that the distances between scale points are equal and can be analyzed using statistical methods that require interval or ratio data, like regression or correlation.
The other options are incorrect:
- A) Metric scaling involves numerical values and is not the same as comparative (nonmetric) scaling.
- B) Random scaling is not a recognized scaling technique.
- C) Monadic scaling refers to evaluating one object at a time without comparisons, typically associated with non-comparative scaling.
- E) None of the above is incorrect because option D is the accurate answer.
Thus, comparative scaling is appropriately referred to as nonmetric scaling due to its reliance on ordinal data and relative comparisons.