In the 1920s, who developed the social distance scale?

In the 1920s, who developed the social distance scale?

• A. Bronislaw Malinowski
• B. Emory Bogardus
• C. Margaret Mead
• D. Franz Boas

Answer: (D)

Emory Bogardus developed the social distance scale in the 1920s. This tool measures how willing people are to interact with members of various groups in different social settings, creating a spectrum of social closeness. Respondents indicate whether they’d accept someone from a target group as a close family member, as a neighbor, as a coworker, as a citizen, and so on. The pattern of responses yields a numerical sense of prejudice or openness toward that group. This approach provided a way to quantify attitudes and compare levels of social distance across groups or over time. The other names listed are well-known anthropologists, but this specific scale originated with Bogardus.

Emory Bogardus developed the social distance scale in the 1920s. This tool measures how willing people are to interact with members of various groups in different social settings, creating a spectrum of social closeness. Respondents indicate whether they’d accept someone from a target group as a close family member, as a neighbor, as a coworker, as a citizen, and so on. The pattern of responses yields a numerical sense of prejudice or openness toward that group. This approach provided a way to quantify attitudes and compare levels of social distance across groups or over time. The other names listed are well-known anthropologists, but this specific scale originated with Bogardus.