← Back to QUESTIONSTAR
Chapter 2 · Survey: Measurement and Scaling · Slide 31/274

Paired Comparison: Pros-and-Cons

Evaluation

2.2 · Comparative Scales Evaluation

Paired Comparison: Pros-and-Cons

+

Pros

  • Direct comparison and unambiguous choice
  • Good for blind tests, product comparisons and MDS
  • Allows calculating the percentage of respondents who prefer one object
  • Rank order can be estimated (assuming transitivity)
  • Possible extensions: "no difference" option, graded comparison
−

Cons

  • Number of comparisons grows faster than the number of objects — for n objects n(n−1)/2 comparisons
  • Order effects possible (influence of presentation order)
  • Preferring A over B does not mean the respondent likes A
  • Not very realistic for real choice situations with multiple alternatives
  • Violation of the transitivity assumption possible
QUESTIONSTAR · Dr. Paul Marx 31 / 274
To the full presentation