A four-item, seven-point scale assessing how exact or precise a respondent perceives a specific piece of information in an advertisement to be. The scale employs a flexible item stem ('The _____ mentioned in the advertisement is:') that allows researchers to specify the focal information type; in the original research, this was a numerical claim embedded in environmental advertising, and the blank was filled with the word 'number'. Developed and applied across four experiments examining whether numerical precision serves as a competence signal, with participants lower in advertising skepticism tending to view companies as more credible when claims were stated precisely rather than in round figures.
7-point response scale (1=definitely not, 7=definitely yes)
Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.
The scale was used as a manipulation check across all studies in the parent article, confirming that precise versus round numerical claims were perceived differently by respondents. Formal validity evidence beyond successful manipulation-check use was not reported. Included on the basis of strong internal consistency (alpha = .87) and a clearly distinct construct not duplicated in the database. Researchers should note that independent demonstration of predictive validity has not been established, and the scale was designed primarily as an instrument-check tool rather than an outcome measure. The item stem is intentionally generic and should be adapted to name the focal information type. Response anchors: 1=definitely not, 7=definitely yes.
Xie, G.-X., & Kronrod, A. (2012). Is the devil in the details? The signaling effect of numerical precision in environmental advertising claims. Journal of Advertising, 41(4), 103-117.
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