Attachment to a Person Scale

What it measures

A three-item, seven-point bi-polar scale measuring the degree to which a person feels emotionally close to, attached to, and identified with a specific named individual. Each item contains a blank into which the name or description of the focal person is inserted. Assumed to have been developed by the authors for use as a manipulation check in a pretest conducted prior to Experiment 4 of their multi-study investigation into the self-enhancement motives underlying word-of-mouth generation and transmission. The scale confirmed that attachment to a specific person was successfully varied across conditions, with participants reporting greater attachment under high-attachment conditions than low, supporting the construct validity of the manipulation.

Response format

7-point bi-polar scale with item-specific anchors; name of focal person inserted in each blank

Scale items

• How close do you feel to __________? (1=not close at all, 7=very close)
• How attached do you feel to __________? (1=not attached at all, 7=very attached)
• To what extent do you identify with __________? (1=not at all, 7=very much)

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

The three items each use distinct verbal anchors: (1) not close at all / very close; (2) not attached at all / very attached; (3) not at all / very much. The item wording in the source article was reconstructed from descriptions rather than stated verbatim; the anchors were explicitly stated. The scale was used as a manipulation check to confirm attachment varied as intended, and its successful use provides limited evidence of predictive validity. Users should note that the construct captured — felt closeness, attachment, and identification with a specific person — is distinct from brand attachment measures (e.g., IDs 1915, 1916, 1917) and romantic attachment style constructs. The scale is generic enough to be adapted for use with any specified individual target, making it useful in social influence, referral, and interpersonal closeness research.

Citation

De Angelis, M., Bonezzi, A., Peluso, A.M., Rucker, D.D., & Costabile, M. (2012). On braggarts and gossips: A self-enhancement account of word-of-mouth generation and transmission. Journal of Marketing Research, 49(4), 551-563.

Keywords