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A researcher is designing a survey using a balanced rating scale. They establish a neutral midpoint and choose 'Strongly Disagree' and 'Disagree' as their negative options. What positive response options must they select to ensure the scale remains balanced, and why?
Question: A researcher is designing a survey using a balanced rating scale. They establish a neutral midpoint and choose 'Strongly Disagree' and 'Disagree' as their negative options. What positive response options must they select to ensure the scale remains balanced, and why?
Sample answer: The researcher must select 'Agree' and 'Strongly Agree' as the positive response options. This ensures the scale is balanced because these options are the exact positive counterparts to 'Disagree' and 'Strongly Disagree', creating a symmetrical distribution around the neutral midpoint.
Key points:
- Identify 'Agree' and 'Strongly Agree' as the necessary positive options.
- Maintain a symmetrical distribution of options.
- Ensure options are balanced around the neutral midpoint to prevent bias.
Rubric: The student must correctly identify 'Agree' and 'Strongly Agree' as the required positive options and explain that they provide a symmetrical distribution around the neutral midpoint.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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