---
title: "Thurstone Scale: Attitude Measurement | Model Diplomat"
description: "The Thurstone Scale of Attitude Measurement ranks statements to assess attitudes, making it essential for UPSC GS-IV candidates and researchers."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/thurstone-scale"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The Thurstone Scale is an interval-level attitude measurement technique that ranks statements by independently assigned scale values and computes a respondent's attitude as the median of the items they endorse.
- How does the Thurstone Scale differ from the Likert Scale?
- Why is it called the method of equal-appearing intervals?
- What is the main criticism of the Thurstone Scale?
- Why does the UPSC GS-IV syllabus include the Thurstone Scale?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

The Thurstone Scale is an interval-level attitude measurement technique that ranks statements by independently assigned scale values and computes a respondent's attitude as the median of the items they endorse.

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Example

In their 1929 monograph The Measurement of Attitude, L.L. Thurstone and E.J. Chave applied the method of equal-appearing intervals to construct a scale measuring American attitudes toward the church, using a panel of several hundred student judges.

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