Situation-Specific Thinking Style Scale

What it measures

The STSS measures situation-specific thinking style in consumer decision contexts — the degree to which, in a specific situation, a consumer relies on experiential/intuitive versus rational/systematic processing. Novak and Hoffman (2009) built on Epstein's (1994) cognitive-experiential self-theory (CEST) and the REI (Pacini & Epstein, 1999), but departed from trait-level measurement by developing situation-specific items. This enables researchers to examine thinking style fit — the alignment between the naturally activated thinking style and the processing demands of a task or message. Situation-thinking-style fit enhances processing fluency, attitude confidence, and behavioural intention. Used in research on online consumer decision making, flow, and persuasion via message type fit.

Response format

7-point Likert (1=strongly disagree to 7=strongly agree); two subscales (Experiential and Rational) scored separately; subscales averaged

Scale items

Experiential Thinking (6 items): degree to which the respondent is engaging in intuitive, affective, feeling-based processing in this specific situation. 7-point Likert. Items averaged.

• In this situation, I am going with my gut feeling rather than thinking it through carefully.
• My approach right now relies mainly on how things feel to me.
• In this situation, my thinking is more intuitive than analytical.
• I am trusting my emotions and instincts to guide me here.
• I am not carefully analysing the situation — I am just reacting naturally.
• My judgements in this situation are based more on feeling than reasoning.

Rational Thinking (6 items): degree to which the respondent is engaging in deliberate, analytical, systematic processing in this specific situation. 7-point Likert. Items averaged.

• In this situation, I am making a careful, systematic analysis.
• I am carefully weighing all of the relevant information before making a decision.
• My thinking in this situation is logical and step-by-step.
• I am trying to be very objective and rational right now.
• I am deliberately evaluating the pros and cons of my options.
• My judgements here are based on careful reasoning rather than feelings.

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

Usage notes & scoring

STSS is situation-specific, not a trait measure — items refer to how the respondent is thinking right now. Ideal for experimental studies where thinking style is manipulated or where researchers want to verify that an experimental task activated the intended processing mode. Experiential and Rational subscales are conceptually orthogonal.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Novak, T.P., & Hoffman, D.L. (2009). The fit of thinking style and situation: New measures of situation-specific experiential and rational cognition. Journal of Consumer Research, 36(1), 56–72.

Keywords