Felt Social Status Scale

What it measures

Three bipolar semantic differential items assess the degree to which a person feels special, unique, and high in status at a given moment. The scale was developed to capture the subjective experience of social elevation that emerges when consumers receive preferential treatment, making it a state-level measure of felt status rather than a stable trait-level perception of rank or superiority. Importantly, the construct captures a sense of distinctiveness and momentary privilege rather than arrogance or dominance over others.

Representative items

• Studies 2 to 5 -- varied experimental participants across lab and field settings

Citation

McFerran, B., & Argo, J. J. (2014). The entourage effect. Journal of Consumer Research, 40(5), 871-884.