Errors of Measurement: Ceiling and Floor Effects

One problem in measurement involves the potential for ceiling and floor effects when trying to evaluate a feature, like attitude toward using the death penalty for serial killers. What can happen is that, using the classic Likert statement (1 = strongly agree to 5 = strongly disagree), the responses may almost all use the extreme score for a response, limiting the observed variability of the responses. Added, MIKE floor and ceiling effects are classified as errors of measurement that become a problem of a restriction in range that creates a small variance or standard deviation for any distribution. This entry defines ceiling and floor effects, paying specific attention to its causes.