The reliability of self-ratings as a function of the amount of verbal anchoring and of the number of categories on the scale

Abstract

A total of 225 college students rated themselves on how much they knew about 12 foreign countries. The rating scales differed in number of categories and in amount of verbal anchoring of scale points (center defined, ends defined, both center and end defined). Results indicated equal reliabilities for scales having 3, 5, 7, or 9 categories, but a decrease in reliability for 11 categories. Reliability increased as amount of verbal anchoring increased. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)