Kinsey Scale
an index of an individual’s relative position on a 7-point continuum of sexual orientation, ranging from 0 (exclusively heterosexual, with no same-sex interest) to 6 (exclusively homosexual, with no heterosexual interest). Points 1 through 5 represent gradations of predominant versus incidental heterosexual–homosexual behaviors and thoughts. Known formally as the Heterosexual–Homosexual Rating Scale, it is also sometimes called the Kinsey (Six) Scale, a misnomer given that 0 is one of the scale’s 7 points. See also sexual orientation grid. [developed in 1948 by Alfred Kinsey and colleagues]