The common error characterized by raters avoiding extreme scores and favoring middle options is identified as?

The central tendency error refers to a bias in performance ratings where raters tend to avoid providing extreme scores—either very high or very low—opting instead for middle options. This phenomenon occurs because raters may feel uncomfortable making definitive judgments that could impact the individual being evaluated. As a result, they gravitate toward neutral or average responses, leading to a clustering of scores around the center of the rating scale. This can distort the evaluation process, as it does not accurately reflect the true performance levels, potentially resulting in a lack of differentiation among individuals' abilities or contributions.

In a performance assessment context, this error may undermine the effectiveness of the rating system, as it could prevent high performers from being recognized for their strong contributions and may shelter underperformers from receiving the critical feedback necessary for improvement. Consequently, understanding this bias is important for supervisors to ensure a fair and effective evaluation process that genuinely reflects the performance of their personnel.