Response Scales: Effects of Category Range on Reported Behavior and Comparative Judgments

Effects of the range of response categories provided in a closed answer format on behavioral reports and subsequent judgments were explored. Respondents reported their daily use of television along a scale that either ranged from “up to a half hour” “to more than two and a half hours” or ranged from “up to two and a half hours” to “more than four and a half hours.” The former subjects reported less use of television than the latter and estimated the average use of TV to be lower. Moreover, the former subjects evaluated TV to be more important in their lives (Experiment 1) and reported less satisfaction with the variety of their leisure-time activities (Experiment 2). These results indicate that subjects inferred the average amount of television watching from the response alternatives provided them and used it as a standard of comparison in evaluating their behavior and its implications.