science

Visual analogue scale

Visual analogue scale is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Visual analogue scale rather than just read about it. In short: The visual analogue scale (VAS) is a psychometric response scale that can be used in questionnaires. It is a measurement instrument for subjective characteristics or attitudes that cannot be directly measured.

Key takeaways

Visual analogue scale belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Visual analogue scale to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Visual analogue scale from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The visual analogue scale (VAS) is a psychometric response scale that can be used in questionnaires. It is a measurement instrument for subjective characteristics or attitudes that cannot be directly measured. When responding to a VAS item, respondents specify their level of agreement to a statement by indicating a position along a continuous line between two end points.

Comparison to other scales This continuous (or "analogue") aspect of the scale differentiates it from discrete scales such as the Likert scale. There is evidence showing that visual analogue scales have superior metrical characteristics than discrete scales, thus a wider range of statistical methods can be applied to the measurements. The VAS can be compared to other linear scales such as the Likert scale or Borg scale. The sensitivity and reproducibility of the results are broadly very similar, although the VAS may outperform the other scales in some cases. These advantages extend to measurement instruments made up from combinations of visual analogue scales, such as semantic differentials.

Uses Recent advances in methodologies for Internet-based research include the development and evaluation of visual analogue scales for use in Internet-based questionnaires. VAS is the most common pain scale for quantification of endometriosis-related pain and skin graft donor site-related pain. A review came to the conclusion that VAS and numerical rating scale (NRS) were the best adapted pain scales for pain measurement in endometriosis. For research purposes, and for more detailed pain measurement in clinical practice, the review suggested use of VAS or NRS for each type of typical pain related to endometriosis (dysmenorrhea, deep dyspareunia and non-menstrual chronic pelvic pain), combined with the clinical global impression (CGI) and a quality of life scale. VAS is being increasingly used for the assessment of loudness and annoyance of acute and chronic tinnitus. The usage of a visual analogue scale (VAS) measuring fear of birth (FOB) was first initiated by Rouhe et al. FOBS is used to identify pregnant women with a fear of birth (FOB). It is a visual analogue scale (like VAS) that cover two constructs: worry and fear. The pregnant women are asked to rate their feelings about the approaching birth by responding to the question “How do you feel right now about the approaching birth?” on a paper with two 100 mm VAS-scale printed on it. They indicate their feeling and respond by placing a mark on the lines with the anchor words “calm/worried” and “no fear/strong fear”. The two values on the VAS-scales are added up to give a total score ranging from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate higher levels of fear, and the cut-off point for fear of birth is 60. Later on, FOBS, was then developed and tested based on Rouhe’s research in pregnant women in both Sweden and Australia. There have also been studies on pregnant women's thoughts when assessing fear of birth on the Fear of Birth Scale.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Visual analogue scale

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Visual analogue scale claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Visual analogue scale before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Visual analogue scale ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Visual analogue scale

In research: Visual analogue scale appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Visual analogue scale in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Visual analogue scale is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Market research, Pain management, Psychometrics, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Visual analogue scale outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Visual analogue scale in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Visual analogue scale means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Visual analogue scale out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Visual analogue scale in simple terms?

Why does Visual analogue scale matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Visual analogue scale?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Visual analogue scale.