Professor Thames tried to use a Guttman scale on his data set that he had seen published in a major journal. Thames was upset because the items did not form a Guttman scale on his data. Confused, he asked for your help. You should tell him that:
A)the article that appeared in the journal was probably an error.
B)he should recheck his scaling techniques because he probably made an error.
C)items may form a Guttman scale in one sample but not in another.
D)it was probably not a very good scale.
E)a Guttman scale can only be used in a univariate analysis.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Items may form a Guttman scale in one sample but not in another. It is possible that the data in the article formed a Guttman scale in the original sample but not in Thames' sample. It is also possible that there were methodological differences between the two samples that affected the scale. Therefore, it is not necessarily an error in the original article and Thames should consider the possibility that his sample may not have produced a Guttman scale.

Professor Thames Tried to Use a Guttman Scale on His