Self-focus

What it measures

The scale measures self-focused attention, capturing how much a person's thoughts are directed inward toward themselves versus outward toward others.

Response format

7-point Likert (1=strongly disagree, 7=strongly agree)

Scale items

• My needs are the center of my focus.
• At this moment, I am more focused on myself.
• Other people's needs are the center of my focus.
• At this moment, I am more focused on other people.

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

Usage notes & scoring

Santana and Morwitz (2021) adapted items from Zhang, Feick, and Mittal (2014), who had separately measured self- versus other-focus; used with Prolific participants. Reliability was strong (α = .89). It was used as a manipulation check, offering indirect support for validity.

Citation

Santana, S., & Morwitz, V.G. (2021). The Role of Gender in Pay-What-You-Want Contexts. Journal of Marketing Research, 58(2), 265–281.

Keywords