The goal of this study was to assess the relative merit of various ranges and types of response scales in terms of respondent satisfaction and comfort and the nature of the elicited information in a population of seventh grade students. Three versions of an attitudinal questionnaire, each containing the same items but employing a different response scale, were administered randomly to three groups of seventh grade students. Specifically, a 2-point forced choice scale (agree-disagree), a traditional 5-point (strongly agree to strongly disagree) and a 21-point continuous scale which included a neutral position (strongly agree at zero to strongly disagree at 20) were compared. The results indicated the range of a response scale may not have much bearing on the seventh grade students' sense of comfort with the instrument. Providing neutral or undecided positions appears to increase rates of response and the reliability of the survey data. The range of a wide response scale does not seem to intimidate the seventh grade students, but they feel more comfortable when presented with specifically labelled points along that scale. (BAE)