A novel method for the construction of verbal rating scales at the ratio scale level of measurement precision: the multidimensional-psychophysical scaling procedure (M-PSP).
The multidimensional-psychophysical scaling procedure was employed to construct verbal rating scales at the ratio scale level of measurement precision. The multidimensional individual differences scaling model (INDSCAL) demonstrated a one-dimensional solution in the group stimulus space, with the eight verbal descriptors and the eight electrical stimulus intensities interdigitated with respect to their perceived strength. A plot of these stimulus coordinates against a scale of electrical intensities in milliwatts yielded an exponential function. To construct the rating scales, the four attributes that could be discerned within the dimension-namely, perceived intensities of the electrical stimuli and the attributes of the subjective experiences evoked by the electrical stimuli: pain qualities, somatosensory qualities, and emotional qualities-were plotted as separate scales against a subjective intensity scale. Although not presented here, INDSCAL also yields a subject coordinate space that quantifies the importance or saliency to each subject of each pole, stoical or complainer, of the dimension.
Columbia University, New York, New York 10032-2695, USA. clarkcr@pi.cpmc.columbia.edu
W Crawford
WC
Clark
J Douglas
JD
Carroll
Malvin N
MN
Janal
D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004644:Emotions; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017288:Pain Threshold; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011601:Psychophysics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012660:Semantics; D014705:Verbal Behavior