A seven-item scale measuring the degree to which a consumer feels they retain full autonomous control over a decision even when they are being observed by another person. Items assess perceptions of volitional freedom, absence of observer influence, self-determination, and confidence in making the right decision while under social surveillance. One item is reverse-scored. Designed to capture the psychological experience of decision autonomy in social observation contexts — a construct relevant to research on social influence, conformity, and privacy.
7-point Likert
Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.
Two reliability estimates: α = .88 (Study 2 pretest) and α = .92 (Study 3) — Zwebner & Schrift (2020). VALIDITY: Used as manipulation check in Study 2 pretest; successful detection provides preliminary predictive validity. One item is reverse-scored ('When someone observes me, I will feel as if I have less free will'). Although the authors indicate they adapted items from Rakos et al. (2008) and Stroessner & Green (1990), item comparison suggests the scale is largely original. Future tense phrasing in most items ('I would feel') makes the scale appropriate for hypothetical or anticipated observation scenarios; researchers studying actual observation should consider rephrasing to present tense.
Zwebner, Yonat and Rom Y. Schrift (2020). Thinking you know how you'll decide: Choice difficulty and the illusion of predictable choice. Journal of Marketing Research, 57(3), 475–488.
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