Attitude Toward the Smartphone (Haptic Pleasure)

What it measures

A four-item scale measuring the degree of physical pleasure a consumer derives from the tactile experience of touching, holding, and interacting with their smartphone. Items capture sensory gratification from the haptic qualities of the device — the feel of holding it, the pleasantness of physical interaction, and the naturalness of the touch interface. Part of a six-scale battery measuring distinct psychological dimensions of the consumer-smartphone relationship developed by Melumad & Pham (2020).

Response format

7-point Likert

Scale items

• I enjoy the physical sensation of touching or holding my phone.
• It feels good to hold and interact with my phone.
• The physical interaction with my phone just feels right.
• Touching or swiping my phone's screen/keyboard feels pleasant.

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

Usage notes & scoring

Single alpha: α = .95 — Melumad & Pham (2020, Study 1, n = 885 MTurk). VALIDITY: Not formally addressed. Scale created by Melumad (2021, personal correspondence). Part of a six-scale smartphone battery alongside Privacy (SMPR), Portability (SMPT), Security Comfort (SMSC), Private Space (SMPS), and Stress Coping (SMST) — all from the same study. These six scales, together with the Attitude Toward the Possession scale (ATPO, ID 2022), form the full measurement battery for the smartphone-as-pacifier research programme.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Melumad, Shiri and Michel Tuan Pham (2020). The smartphone as a pacifier: A psychological and physiological investigation of its effects on stressed consumers. Journal of Marketing Research, 57(2), 236–256.

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