Likert or Not, Survey (In)validation Requires Explicit Theories and True Grit

摘要

From the time of Likert (1932) on, attitudes of expediency regarding both theory and methodology became apparent with reference to survey construction and validation practices. In place of theory and more-theoretically minded methods, such as those found in the early work of Thurstone (1928) and Coombs (1964), statistical models and methodological heuristics have come to dominate, with the result of gross simplification of complex techniques. Maul's Focus article lampoons this atheore-tical attitude with a rhetorical flair that is all too rare in this literature. More importantly, it draws stark attention to the scientific and ethical dilemmas that this attitude has created as self-report, survey-based instruments have become ubiquitous in psychological research, education systems, and modern society more generally.