Four semantic differential items assess how vivid, graphic, powerful, and intense a stimulus is perceived to be. Although originally developed and validated in the context of cigarette package warning labels, the items are constructed to be applicable to any visual stimulus requiring a vividness or graphicness evaluation. The scale captures how striking, immediate, and affectively potent a stimulus appears to the viewer. The scale stem used by Andrews et al. (2014) was specific to warning label graphicness and should be adapted for other contexts.
Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.
Originally developed by Kees, Burton, Andrews, and Kozup (2010) in the context of cigarette package warnings and adopted by Andrews et al. (2014) in two studies with adolescent and young adult smokers. In Kees et al. (2010), the scale's internal consistency was .87 (pilot) and .95 (main study). The scale stem used by Andrews et al. (2014) was 'I think the warning information on the package is...' -- researchers applying this scale to other visual stimuli should adapt the stem accordingly. The scale was referred to as 'perceived graphicness of the warning' by Andrews et al. (2014), but the item wordings (graphic, vivid, powerful, intense) are sufficiently general for broader application to visual marketing stimuli. Validity was not formally assessed.
Andrews, J. C., Netemeyer, R. G., Kees, J., & Burton, S. (2014). How graphic visual health warnings affect young smokers' thoughts of quitting. Journal of Marketing Research, 51(2), 165-183.
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