ABSTRACT
I am an unabashed advocate of category ratings as direct pipelines to the psyche. I realize that many experts on scaling believe that something must be done about the bad behavior of my clients. But these experts should be aware that rating scales have the support of a veritable mob—the thousands of psychologists and social scientists who use ratings to assess public opinion, consumer preferences, the psychological quality of life, and for a variety of other practical concerns. Rating scales are also widely employed for basic research on attitude change, perception, judgment, and other cognitive processes.
