Elaboration on Potential Outcomes (Positive Focus)

What it measures

A three-item likert scale designed to measure the tendency for a person to assume the best will happen and concentrate more on the positive consequences of decisions rather than the negative.

Response format

7-point Likert (1=strongly disagree, 7=strongly agree)

Scale items

• I keep a positive attitude that things always turn out all right.
• I prefer to think about the good things that can happen rather than the bad.
• When thinking over my decisions I focus more on their positive end results.

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

Usage notes & scoring

Convergent and discriminant validity evidence was provided by the original authors. Subscale of the full Elaboration on Potential Outcomes (EPO) scale, which comprises three dimensions: Generation/Evaluation (6 items), Negative Outcome Focus (4 items), and Positive Outcome Focus (3 items). Built to operationalize Carver & Scheier's (1998) self-regulation theory — Carver, C. S., & Scheier, M. F. (1998). On the self-regulation of behavior. Cambridge University Press. Originally attributed to Carver & Scheier (1998, book); correct scale source confirmed as Nenkov, Inman & Hulland (2008). α = .82–.90 reported across validation trials.

Citation

Nenkov, G. Y., Inman, J. J., & Hulland, J. (2008). Considering the future: The conceptualization and measurement of elaboration on potential outcomes. Journal of Consumer Research, 35(1), 126–141.

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