Straight or Bent? An inquiry into rating scales in repertory grids

Abstract

Ogden's (1932) analysis of opposition is used as the basis for an exploration of the ways in which respondents might use rating scales in repertory grids. The conceptual approach to the problem is described and the conclusion is drawn that the mathematical and semantic aspects of rating scales may not always be aligned. Empirical evidence is presented from a preliminary study which suggests that bipolarity is a more complex issue than might be suspected from a superficial consideration.

Construing contexts: Problems and prospects of George Kelly's personal construct psychology

“…O n the one hand the client creatively construes the world in idiosyncratic and not necessarily rational ways; on the other Kelly assumes this construing conforms to a statistical logic and is verified by manthe-scientist. But continuing research in cognitive and personal construct psychology has led to doubts about whether concepts are organized dichotomously (Yorke, 1983), indeed as to how they are organized (Rosch, 1978), and to whether the revealing of submerged contrast poles in so-called dichotomous construing of elements is not a choice forced upon subjects and unrepresentative of everyday contextual thinking (Gaines & Shaw, 1981).…”

A methodological note on the application of the generalized grid technique in the measurement of perceived intercultural distance

“…Through a further group discussion with two of the groups of younger and older adolescents (20 in all), it was possible to further reduce this to a common pool of 20 bipolar constructs. Bearing in mind Yorke's (1978Yorke's ( , 1983 concerns about establishing true bipolar opposites, the nature and purpose of the exercise was explained to the participants in an atmosphere of free discussion. In general, the establishment of opposite and emergent poles was completed without difficulty.…”

Bipolarity … or not? Some Conceptual Problems Relating to Bipolar Rating Scales

“…In the majority of these studies bipolar constructs have been elicited, though there are examples in which monopolar constructs have emerged. In the broad sweep of all this work, the bipolarity of elicited scales appears to have been treated as unproblematic despite critical comment in the literature (Yorke, 1983a(Yorke, , 1985(Yorke, , 1989a. Some of the dif culties are illustrated in Hargreaves et al (1996), where individual constructs elicited from teachers were assimilated into a set of normative constructs.…”

“…The second construct presents further dif culty since it is possible for an element to be seen simultaneously as primitive and accomplished: although not a child's art (one of the foci of Hargreaves et al's article), the paintings of Henri 'Le Douanier' Rousseau constitute a case in point. Drawing on Ogden's (1932) work on opposition, Yorke (1983a) showed that the metrics of bipolar constructs might well not be simple gradations between opposing poles. Features of bipolar constructs which rendered their metrics problematic included:…”