The semantic differential scale is a type of rating scale designed to measure the connotative meaning of objects, events, and concepts. It asks respondents to rate concepts on a series of bipolar adjective scales.
Developed by Charles E. Osgood, this scale primarily measures three fundamental semantic dimensions:
Therefore, the semantic differential scale measures evaluation, potency, and action.
| LIST-I Measurement scale | LIST-II Definition | ||
| A. | Likert Scale | I. | Measures the meanings people create in response to a particular stimulus |
| B. | Semantic Differential scale | II. | Equal appearing intervals between adjacent points of a measurement scale |
| C. | Thurstone Scale | III. | Identifies the extent of a person's attitude towards a person or phenomenon |
| D. | Guttman Scale | IV. | Items are arranged along a continuum |
| LIST-I Scales of Measurement | LIST-II Characteristics |
| A. Nominal | I. Place items from least to most or lowest to highest |
| B. Ordinal | II. Precisely how far apart the items are |
| C. Ratio | III. Denotes the categories only |
| D. Interval | IV. Enables researcher to determine the proportions easily |