External Search Effort

What it measures

A multiple-item scale measuring external search effort.

Response format

5-point Likert (1=strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree)

Scale items

• I often seek out information regarding which brand to buy.
• I spend a lot of time looking for information about products and brands before I make a purchase.
• I like to have a great deal of information before I buy anything.
• I usually seek out product information before making a purchase.

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

Usage notes & scoring

Internal consistency (alpha = .84) was reported in the primary study. Factor analytic procedures were used to support the scale's structural validity.

Citation

Dickerson, Mary D. and James W. Gentry (1983), “Characteristics of Adopters and Non-Adopters of Home Computers,” Journal of Consumer Research, 10 (September), 225-235.

Keywords