Comparison of two Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales

摘要

Although previous comparisons have generally failed to yield findings of differences between alternative rating scale formats, there is evidence that a structured behavioral scale may be psychometrically superior to an unstructured one. The present investigation compared a skeleton behavioral expectation scale (BES) composed exclusively of behavioral examples with a complete BES. Ratings were obtained from 49 Army ROTC instructors on 309 cadets. The complete BES was significantly superior (ps< .05) to the skeleton version in terms of discriminability and halo. It is postulated that raters may have difficulty matching observed behavior to behavioral examples and that BES structural elements may be essential in overcoming this difficulty.