2004 Volume 31 Issue 1 Pages 17-24
The dimension for rating the similarity of objects is different from that for rating the degree of liking for the same objects. Using Abelson's contour mapping model, this study expressed the degree of liking for objects on configurations obtained by multidimensional scaling (MDS). Thirty participants evaluated similarity (measured on an 11-point scale) and the degree of liking (evaluated on a 5-point scale) for six professional baseball teams in the Central League of Japan. Configurations of the objects were obtained by MDS using the similarity data. Valences were computed based on the degree of liking obtained by a contour mapping model. Compared with other techniques such as PREFMAP, a contour mapping model has three advantages. First, a contour mapping model has a better fit with data. Second, mapping facilitates the visual comprehension of attitudes. Finally, a contour mapping model may integrate two types of attitude theories in social psychology. This model serves to express emotional components in the force field and offers a basis to develop a dynamic model of attitude expressed by a vector field.