Perceived Auditory Cover While Shopping

What it measures

This scale measures how much a shopper believes that no one else can hear them moving around or handling product packaging while in a physical store. Ringler, Esmark Jones, and Stevens (2022) developed it to study how ambient sound levels create a sense of auditory concealment for shoppers.

Response format

7-point scale (strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (7))

Scale items

• No one else would be able to hear me while I was shopping.
• If I were to pick up a product, no one else would be able to hear the sound of the packaging.
• No one would be able to hear me as I moved around the store.

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

Usage notes & scoring

The scale was reliable (α = .87; Ringler, Esmark Jones, and Stevens 2022, p. 598) among 206 undergraduate participants. Validity was not separately reported by the authors.

Citation

Ringler, Christine, Carol L. Esmark Jones, and Jennifer L. Stevens (2022), "The Ostrich Effect: Feeling Hidden Amidst the Ambient Sound of Human Voices," Journal of Retailing, 98 (4), 593-610.

Keywords

More Retail & Shopper Psychology scales

• Ergonomics of the Shopping Cart2022 · 6 items
• Ergonomics of the Shopping Cart (Comparative)2022 · 4 items
• Preoccupation of Others2022 · 6 items
• Quietness of the Place2022 · 3 items
• Perceived Crowding1992 · 5 items
• Interior Design Aesthetic Attention1994 · 4 items