The Borg CR-Scales® are the best methods for determining the intensity of most kinds of experiences from simple sensory perception to more complex subjective symptoms, emotions and feelings of mental load and difficulty. Simple category scales with verbal or pictorial anchors, or the VAS have not equally good metric properties for determining both direct levels and S-R –functions. Because of many international misuses causing erroneous results in clinical diagnostics, therapy, rehabilitation “prescription” and advices for exercise and difficulties in daily activities (“loads”), the company has had to get expensive legal help including trademark and control of correct usages. All contacts and services are now handled by Borg Perception AB.
Correct administration is important. Special folders have been developed that describe problems in psychophysical scaling and correct administration.
The importance of good instructions cannot be underestimated for scientific as well as applied usage. A fine-graded semi-ratio scale must have anchors congruent in meaning with numbers. If an anchor “A” denotes something that is half as strong as another anchor “B”, the numeral relation must then be 1:2. The Borg CR-Scales® have the advantage that the same scale and general instructions can be used for most kinds of experiences. For specific problems in focus some additional instructions may then have to be added. The test leader has to get a good knowledge about this by getting the necessary information.
