Abstract
Variability in responses obtained from interval scale comprises not only interindividual differences depending on personality, attitude, values and so on, but also intraindividual ambiguity owing to subjective evaluation. In order to compare the differences and the ambiguity, female college students rated their perceptual awareness to clothing norms on a fuzzy graphic rating scale developed by Hesketh et al. Four photographs of daytime dress style ranging from casual to dressy were used as stimuli and the extent of appropriateness of each dress in four social situations (shopping in a convenience store, attending classes at college, visiting a relative, attending a wedding party) was rated on the fuzzy graphic rating scale with the appropriateness-inappropriateness pair.
The main point score (“most exactly fit point” in the scale) and range of fuzzy ratings on appropriateness were obtained for each of the four types of dress. The mean range of fuzzy ratings corresponding to intraindividual ambiguity became greater in cases in which the main point scores and the extent of appropriateness were intermediate. In addition, the standard deviations of the main point score, corresponding to interindividual differences, were larger than the magnitude of the mean range of the intermediate main point score, whereas they were nearly equal to that of the mean range of the high or low main point score.
