Implicit Theory (General World-Order)

What it measures

A three-item likert scale designed to measure a person's beliefs regarding the malleability of traits and attributes related to things in the world (self, others, and the environment).

Response format

6-point Likert (1=strongly disagree, 6=strongly agree)

Scale items

• Though some phenomena can be changed, it is unlikely that the core disposition of the world can be altered.
• Our world has its basic and ingrained dispositions, and you really can’t do much to change it.
• Some societal trends may dominate for a while, but the fundamental nature of our world is something that

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

Usage notes & scoring

Internal consistency (alpha = .83) was reported in the primary study. Formal validity assessment was not reported by the original authors.

Citation

Jain, Shailendra Pratap, Pragya Mathur, and Durairaj Maheswaran (2009), “The Influence of Consumers' Lay Theories on Approach/Avoidance Motivation,” Journal of Marketing Research, 46 (1), 56-65.

Keywords