Complexity of Calculation Task

What it measures

A three-item scale measuring a consumer's subjective perception of the difficulty and cognitive load involved in a numerical calculation task. Items tap the overall complexity of the task, the difficulty of tracking multiple elements simultaneously, and the computational challenge involved. Developed as a manipulation check for calculation difficulty in grocery budgeting research, the scale is applicable more broadly to any experimental context in which the perceived cognitive complexity of a numerical or arithmetic task is relevant.

Response format

7-point Likert

Scale items

• This was a complicated task.
• I had difficulty with keeping track.
• This was a complex calculation.

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

Usage notes & scoring

Two reliability estimates: α = .93 (Study 2, n = 126) and α = .87 (Study 3, n = 209) — van Ittersum, Pennings & Wansink (2010). VALIDITY: Not reported. Scale was used as a manipulation check for calculation difficulty conditions; successful detection of the manipulation provides limited concurrent validity evidence. NOTE: Developed in the context of in-store grocery spending tracking; broadly applicable to other contexts requiring numerical computation.

Citation

Van Ittersum, Koert, Joost M. E. Pennings, and Brian Wansink (2010). Trying harder and doing worse: How grocery shoppers track in-store spending. Journal of Marketing, 74(2), 90–104.

Keywords