Standard Guide for Selecting and Using Scales for Sensory Evaluation

Abstract

4.1 Rating instruments or rating scales are commonly used in many areas such as sensory evaluation, marketing research, experimental psychology, survey research, and economics in which there is interest in quantifying perceptions such as liking, preference, level of purchase interest, intensity of an attribute, degree of difference, or level of agreement with statements. This guide is concerned with the scales that are used to record human responses to physical stimuli rather than measuring physical entities. Many types of rating scales already exist and have been used in the above fields. Specific rating scales each have their own properties, advantages, and disadvantages. Some rating scales are intended for specific applications, while others have broader applications. Some rating scales have been extensively studied and modeled and have well-established properties. 4.2 Given the overwhelming number of scales available to practitioners when designing research, it is necessary for the researcher to have some knowledge about the scales that are available along with the many considerations that surround their use and applications. This guide will be useful to the sensory researcher who wants to use a scale as a measuring tool for their work. Selecting the right scale is a critical step towards meeting the research objective and making valid conclusions.