Boris and Delilah were debating how many response options they should have in their Likert scale items. Boris suggested 21, Delilah suggested three. Based on what you know about response formats, how many response options is usually an optimal balance between depth of response and the amount of cognitive effort respondents have to put forth?
A) 3 response options
B) 7 response options
C) 11 response options
D) 21 response options

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Research suggests that a Likert scale with 7 response options is an optimal balance between depth of response and the amount of cognitive effort respondents have to put forth. This provides enough differentiation between response options while not overwhelming the respondent with too many choices. Therefore, Delilah's suggestion of 3 is not enough and Boris' suggestion of 21 is too much, making B the best choice.

Boris and Delilah Were Debating How Many Response Options They