do is that they arbitrarily decide a point as zero point and proceed further. As a result, whatever scores we get in psychological studies, are not absolute in nature; rather, they have relative value. In some of the studies ranks are used as scores. For example, on the basis of marks obtained in some test, the teacher arranges the students in an order — , , , , … , and so on.
The problem in such type of assessment is that the difference between first and second rank holders may not be the same as is the difference between the second and third rank holders. Out of , the first rank holder might score , the second , and the third . As you can see, the difference between the first and the second rank holders is not the same as is the case between second and third rank holders. This also illustrates the relative nature of the psychological measurement.
. Relative Nature of Psychological Tools : Psychological tests are developed keeping in view the salient features of a particular context. For example, a test developed for urban students may contain items that demand familiarity with the stimuli available in the urban setting— multistoried buildings, airplanes, metro railway, etc. Such a test is not suitable for use with children living in tribal areas who would be more at ease with items that describe their flora and fauna.
Similarly, a test developed in the Western countries may or may not be applicable in the Indian context. Such tests need to be properly modified and adapted keeping in view the characteristics of the context in which they are to be used. . Subjective Interpretation of Qualitative Data : Data from qualitative studies are largely subjective since they involve interpretation on the part of the researcher as well as the person providing data.
The interpretations may vary from one individual to the other. It is, therefore, often suggested that in case of qualitative studies, the field work should be done by more than one investigator, who at the end of the