This is one of those entries that is so “it’s what it says” that it hardly needs an entry. However, I’ve started so I’ll continue! (For non-Brits, that’s a joke about television competition “Mastermind” that I’ve never watched!)
Details #
Rating scales can be a part of the protocol for interview measures, they can also be pure instructions about how to rate observation of behaviours whether in designed challenges/tests or in “natural” or institutional settings.
Where rating scales that are within the protocol for an interview measure it is likely that there will be two sets of instructions in the protocol:
1) instructions to the interviewer about how to conduct the interview which may be more or less highly structured, and
2) instructions to the interviewer or others about how to rate the observed responses and perhaps interviewee behaviours.
Whether part of an interview or not the rating scale will have instructions about how to make the rating which might range from an instruction to focus on something and clarification of the rating which might “present/absent” or to use a VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) or some other scaling, whether of:
* clarity/certainty, e.g. “definitely not observed”, “perhaps present”, “probably present”, “definitely present”;
* severity, i.e. “severely flattened affect”, “moderately flattened affect”, “slightly flattended affect”, “no flattening of affect”;
* or frequency: “restless behaviour constant”, “restless behaviour observable more than half the time”, “restless behaviour at times but less than half the time”, “restless behaviour not observed”.
Rating scales, particularly of complex phenomena, including of therapist interventions may have detailed definitions of the phenomena and markers of its presence.
Try also #
Interview measures
Visual analogue scaling (VAS)
Chapters #
Chapter 2.
Online resources #
None currently.
Dates #
First created 14.iv.24.
