Sophistication

What it measures

A three-item semantic scale designed to measure the degree to which an object is viewed as being classy and urbane rather than common and uncultured.

Response format

7-point semantic differential

Scale items

• rural / cosmopolitan
• middle class / upper class
• local / global

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

Usage notes & scoring

Internal consistency (alpha = .80) was reported in the primary study. Formal validity assessment was not reported by the original authors.

Citation

Krishna, Aradhna and Rohini Ahluwalia (2008), “Language Choice in Advertising to Bilinguals: Asymmetric Effects for Multinationals versus Local Firms,” Journal of Consumer Research, 35 (4), 692-705.

Keywords