end-aversion bias

end-aversion bias

the tendency for individuals to avoid the extreme choices on a scale and instead select a choice in the middle of the scale, closer to neutral. Such an approach results in a narrower range of responses that most likely will not be an accurate representation of the variable being measured. For example, a supervisor assessing employees would show end-aversion bias if his or her ratings generally were around 4 on a 7-point scale. Also called central-tendency bias.