Managing perceptions on the linguistic terms of qualitative scales

Abstract

In this paper, we consider the problem of how individuals perceive the ordinal proximities between the linguistic terms of an ordered qualitative scale. We address the challenge of accurately measuring these ordinal proximities in ordered qualitative scales used in surveys. To tackle this issue, we have devised a visual procedure, managed through sliders, and an appropriate software that generates the metrizable ordinal measure which represents the ordinal arrangement of the proximities between the linguistic terms of an ordered qualitative scale. The procedure has been applied to real-world survey data to validate its effectiveness. The results indicate that the new proposal significantly outperforms traditional techniques in terms of accuracy and reliability, providing a robust tool for researchers in fields requiring precise ordinal data analysis.