In a short essay, list and discuss the three types of comparative scaling techniques. Include a specific example for each scaling technique to support your answer

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

a. Paired comparison scaling is a comparative scaling technique in which a respondent is presented with two objects at a time and asked to select one object in the pair according to some criterion. Data obtained in this way are ordinal in nature. For example, a consumer involved in a paired comparison study may state that she shops in J.C. Penney more than in Sears, likes Total cereal better than Kellogg's Product 19, or likes Crest toothpaste more than Colgate. Paired comparison scales are frequently used when the research involves physical products.
b. Rank order scaling is a comparative scaling technique in which respondents are presented with several objects simultaneously and asked to order or rank them according to some criterion. For example, consumers may be asked to rank brands of jeans according to overall preference. These rankings are typically obtained by asking the respondents to assign a rank of 1 to the most preferred brand, 2 to the second most preferred, and so on, until each alternative is ranked down to the least preferred brand.
c. Constant sum scaling is a comparative scaling technique in which respondents are required to allocate a constant sum of units, such as points, dollars, or chips, among a set of stimulus objects with respect to some criterion. Respondents may be asked, for example, to allocate 100 points to eight attributes of a bath soap. The points are allocated to represent the importance attached to each attribute. If an attribute is unimportant, the respondent assigns it zero points. If an attribute is twice as important as some other attribute, the respondent assigns it twice as many points. All the points a respondent assigns must total 100.