Attitude Scale Assessment Blog

This assignment takes a deep dive into the three attitude scales currently being studied in Comm 333: Persuasions. The three attitude scales are Likert, Semantic Differential, and Visually Oriented. Specifically, I am looking at Likert and Semantic Differential.

The Likert scale is a commonly used tool for measuring attitudes, opinions, and perceptions in research. It consists of a series of statements or items that respondents are asked to rate on a scale of agreement or disagreement, typically ranging from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree." One of the main benefits of the Likert scale is its ability to measure the intensity or strength of respondents' attitudes, as well as the direction of their opinions. This provides researchers with a more nuanced understanding of the attitudes and opinions of their study participants.The Likert scale is flexible and can be adapted to suit a wide range of research contexts and populations. For example, researchers can use different response options or scale lengths depending on the nature of the study and the target population. Despite its widespread use, the Likert scale is not without its criticisms. One of the main criticisms is the potential for response bias, which can occur when respondents are reluctant to express extreme opinions or when they try to present themselves in a more favorable light. This can result in respondents tending to agree with statements regardless of their actual beliefs or attitudes or where respondents answer questions in a way they believe is socially acceptable.

One of the main benefits of the semantic differential scale is its ability to reduce response bias, as respondents are less likely to fall into the trap of acquiescence bias or social desirability bias. This is because the scale does not ask respondents to agree or disagree with a statement, but rather to rate a particular concept or object on a series of objective criteria. One of the main criticisms is that the scale is relatively inflexible and may not capture the full complexity of respondents' attitudes or perceptions. While the scale does capture multiple dimensions of attitudes, these dimensions are predetermined by the researcher and may not fully reflect the range of attitudes or emotions that respondents may feel about a particular topic.

When looking at the ELM and TRA, I feel that the Likert scale can be easily broken down and used the best. The ELM suggests that attitudes are formed and changed through two different routes: the central route and the peripheral route. In the context of a Likert scale, respondents who use the central route are likely to carefully consider the statements and provide thoughtful and well-reasoned responses, while respondents who use the peripheral route may be more influenced by superficial cues, such as the language used in the statements or the order in which they are presented. The TRA suggests that attitudes are shaped by two key factors: behavioral beliefs and normative beliefs. In the context of a Likert scale, respondents who have strong behavioral beliefs about a particular issue or behavior are likely to rate the statements more positively or negatively depending on whether they are consistent or inconsistent with those beliefs. By applying these theories to Likert scale data, researchers can gain insights into the underlying factors that influence respondents' attitudes, including the strength and direction of their beliefs, the level of motivation and involvement they have with the issue, and the cues or factors that influence their processing of the information provided by the statements. This can help researchers to better understand the attitudes of their target population and develop more effective strategies for addressing issues or promoting behaviors that align with those attitudes.

When reflecting on this, I realized the true reasoning behind having multiple different types of scales. There isn't a one size fits all solution. One scale can be better for a situation that another scale would fail on. The semantic differential scale measures the connotative meaning of an individual's attitude towards a particular concept or object while the The Likert scale measures the intensity of an individual's agreement or disagreement with a particular statement or concept.

References:

Lietzenmayer, A. (2023). Module 2. Old Dominion University. Retrieved from url.