Effects of arbitrarily placed category boundaries on similarity judgments

Article Abstract:

The effects of arbitrarily placed boundaries on judged similarity between pairs of stimulus persons were examined. In Experiments 1 and 2, the similarity of applicants for a job where three category labels were superimposed on the scores of applicants based on measures relevant to job performance was rated. While the boundary positions in Experiment 1 were varied across subjects, these were varied within subjects in Experiment 2. In both experiments, pairs were rated as more similar when in the same category than when on opposite sides of a category boundary. Experiment 3 also confirmed the predicted effects of boundary markers where the presence of semantic labels and visual boundary markers was varied.

Psychological aspects, Labels, Similarity judgment

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How meaning is given to rating scales: the effects of response language on category activation

Article Abstract:

The rating scale language affects activation and usage of categories. A graded category structure is evoked by the labels used in rating scales, and the response language influences the use of categories for representing the scale. Category labels of bipolar rating scales activate two categories, such as honest/dishonest, while an ad hoc category of irrelevant examples is generated to represent the midpoint of the scale. Unipolar scales activate a single explicit category label, but a second category, not explicitly labeled, is used to represent the lower end of the scale.

Psychometrics, Response set, Response bias

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