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14
Attitude
Measurement

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Attitudes, Attributes and Beliefs Attitudes, Attributes and Beliefs

Each object/product/service is believed to be composed of Finally, the term attitude refers to the predisposition / mental
certain characteristics which fulfil certain needs of its user. state of individuals/users towards a product / idea / attributes
These needs may be of psychological, physical or social nature. of an object.
It also implies the mental readiness to act in a particular
The characteristics of the object under consideration are called manner and influences the individuals's behaviour towards the
its attributes. object/group/organization/person under consideration.

The term belief refers to judgements made by a user regarding The salient factors that go into the building of the overall
the object possessing certain attributes or not. attitude of the individual towards the object are
a) his/her beliefs about the attributes possessed by the object,
b) his/her preference or otherwise for those attributes, and
c) the relative importance of each attribute to the individual's
decision making process.

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Attitude Measurement Attitude Measurement

Measurement implies the process of obtaining In attitude measurement, the researcher is primarily
information which can be subject to analysis. Attitude interested in measuring the "state of mind" of the
measurement relates to the process of measuring an respondent (s). It may include factors such as
individual's attitude towards an object. When we go awareness, attitudes and decision processes.
for measurement of attitudes or any other parameter,
one has to clearly sort out the following :
• "what" has to be measured ?
• "who" is to be measured ?
• the accuracy desired in the measurement
• the costs permissible
• the choices available in the measurement/data
collection techniques. 7
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Cognitive Affective Behavior

Knowledge/Beliefs Feelings/Emotions Action/Predisposition
What is An Attitude?
Snakes control the Being around snakes I will pick up a snake.
• Attitude
rodent population. make me feel tense.
• An enduring disposition to consistently respond in
a given manner to various aspects of the world. Apple makes Apple products make I’m going to
innovative products. the world a better recommend my mom
• Components of attitudes: place. get the new iPhone.
• Affective Component
Apple’s products are Apple wants to I’m not going to
◗The feelings or emotions toward an object
very expensive. squeeze as much purchase another
• Cognitive Component money from me as MacBook.
◗Knowledge and beliefs about an object
possible.
• Behavioral Component
◗Predisposition to action Facebook connects me Facebook makes me I will post photos of
◗Intentions with friends and feel closer to my our vacation on
◗Behavioral expectations family. family. Facebook tonight.
Facebook presents ads Facebook is unfairly I’m going to boycott
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14–10
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Techniques for Measuring Attitudes Techniques for Measuring Attitudes

• Ranking • Sorting
• Requiring the respondent to rank order objects • Presenting the respondent with several
in overall performance on the basis of a concepts typed on cards and requiring the
characteristic or stimulus. respondent to arrange the cards into a number
• Rating of piles or otherwise classify the concepts.
• Asking the respondent to estimate the • Choice
magnitude of a characteristic, or quality, that • Asking a respondent to choose one alternative
an object possesses by indicating on a scale from among several alternatives; it is assumed
where he or she would rate an object. that the chosen alternative is preferred over
the others.

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Attitude Rating Scales Attitude Rating Scales (cont’d)

• Simple Attitude Scale • Category Scale
• Requires that an individual agree/disagree with • A more sensitive measure than a simple scale
a statement or respond to a single question. in that it can have more than two response
◗This type of self-rating scale classifies respondents categories.
into one of two categories (e.g., yes or no). ◗Question construction is an extremely important
• Example: factor in increasing the usefulness of these scales.
• Example:
THE PRESIDENT SHOULD RUN FOR RE-ELECTION How important were the following in your decision to visit San Diego? (check one for
_______ AGREE ______ DISAGREE each item)
VERY SOMEWHAT NOT TOO
IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT
CLIMATE ___________ ___________ ___________
COST OF TRAVEL ___________ ___________ ___________
FAMILY ORIENTED ___________ ___________ ___________
EDUCATIONAL/HISTORICAL ASPECTS ___________ ___________ ___________
FAMILIARITY WITH AREA ___________ ___________ ___________

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EXHIBIT 14.2 Likert Scale Items for Measuring Attitudes toward

Patients’ Interaction with a Physician’s Service Staff

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Attitude Rating Scales (cont’d) Attitude Rating Scales (cont’d)

• Method of Summated Ratings: Likert Scale • Semantic Differential
• A popular means for measuring attitudes. • A series of seven-point rating scales with
• Respondents indicate their own attitudes by bipolar adjectives, such as “good” and “bad,”
checking how strongly they agree or disagree anchoring the ends (or poles) of the scale.
with statements. ◗A weight is assigned to each position on the scale.
◗Typical response alternatives: “strongly agree,” Traditionally, scores are 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or +3, +2,
“agree,” “uncertain,” “disagree,” and “strongly +1, 0, -1, -2, -3.
disagree.”
• Example:
• Example: Exciting ___ : ___ : ___ : ___ : ___ : ___ : ___ Calm
It is more fun to play a tough, competitive tennis match than to play Interesting ___ : ___ : ___ : ___ : ___ : ___ : ___ Dull
an easy one.
___Strongly Agree ___Agree ___Not Sure ___Disagree ___Strongly Disagree Simple ___ : ___ : ___ : ___ : ___ : ___ : ___ Complex
Passive ___ : ___ : ___ : ___ : ___ : ___ : ___ Active
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Other Scale Types (cont’d) EXHIBIT 14.4 Image Profile of Private versus Public High
Schools
• Image Profile
• A graphic representation of semantic
differential data for competing brands,
products, or stores to highlight comparisons.
• Because the data are assumed to be interval,
either the arithmetic mean or the median will
be used to compare the profile of one product,
brand, or store with that of a competing
product, brand, or store.

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Attitude Rating Scales (cont’d) Other Scale Types (cont’d)

• Stapel Scale
• Numerical Scales • Uses a single adjective (unipolar) as a substitute
• Scales that have numbers as response options, for the semantic differential when it is difficult
rather than “semantic space” or verbal
descriptions, to identify categories (response to create pairs of bipolar adjectives.
positions). • Tends to be easier to conduct and administer
◗In practice, researchers have found that a scale with than a semantic differential scale.
numerical labels for intermediate points on the scale is
as effective a measure as the true semantic differential.
• Example:
◗Now that you’ve had your automobile for about one
year, please tell us how satisfied you are with your Ford
Taurus.
Extremely Dissatisfied 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Extremely Satisfied

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Other Scale Types (cont’d) Other Scale Types (cont’d)

• Constant-Sum Scale • Graphic Rating Scale
• Respondents are asked to divide a constant sum to • A measure of attitude that allows respondents
indicate the relative importance of attributes. to rate an object by choosing any point along a
◗Respondents often sort cards, but the task may also be graphic continuum.
a rating task (e.g., indicating brand preference).
• Advantage:
• Example:
◗Allows the researcher to choose any interval
• Divide 100 points among each of the following desired for scoring purposes.
brands according to your preference for the brand:
• Disadvantage:
◗Brand A _________
◗There are no standard answers.
◗Brand B _________
◗Brand C _________

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EXHIBIT 14.7 A Ladder Scale EXHIBIT 14.8 Graphic Rating Scale with Picture Response
Categories Stressing Visual Communication

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Measuring Behavioral Intention Measuring Behavioral Intention

• Behavioral Component • Behavioral Differential
• The behavioral expectations (expected future • A rating scale instrument similar to a semantic
actions) of an individual toward an attitudinal differential, developed to measure the behavioral
object. intentions of subjects toward future actions.
• Example: ◗A description of the object to be judged is placed on the
top of a sheet, and the subjects indicate their behavioral
• How likely is it that you will purchase a Honda Fit? intentions toward this object on a series of scales.
◗I definitely will buy
• Example:
◗I probably will buy
A 25 year-old woman sales representative
◗I might buy Would ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Would Not
◗I probably will not buy ask this person for advice.
◗I definitely will not buy

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EXHIBIT 14.9 Summary of Advantages and Measurement Accuracy

Disadvantages of Rating Scales
The true score model provides a framework
for understanding the accuracy of
measurement.
XO = XT + XS + XR
where
XO = the observed score or measurement
XT = the true score of the characteristic
XS = systematic error
XR = random error
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Potential Sources of Error in Scale Evaluation

Measurement Evaluation of a Multi-Item Scale

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Criteria for Good Measurement

• Reliability
• Validity
• Sensitivity

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