Perceived Stimulus Abstractness

What it measures

Four bipolar adjective pairs assess the degree to which a person perceives a stimulus as having the characteristic breadth of a broader category rather than a specific instance. Used primarily as a manipulation check to verify abstraction levels across experimental conditions.

Response format

7-point semantic differential

Scale items

• abstract / concrete
• broad / detailed
• general / specific
• indirect / direct

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

Usage notes & scoring

Adapted from Newell and Olejnik (1982–1983). Alphas of .86 (Study 1) and .81 (Study 3) reported. Intended as a manipulation check rather than a substantive individual-difference measure.

Citation

Aggarwal, P., & Law, S. (2005). Role of relationship norms in processing brand information. Journal of Consumer Research, 31(1), 87–101.

Keywords