Style of Processing Scale

What it measures

The SOP is the foundational consumer behaviour measure of individual differences in the preference for visual versus verbal modes of information processing. Childers, Houston, and Heckler (1985) operationalised the distinction between imagers (who naturally encode and retrieve information in visual-pictorial formats) and verbalisers (who process and store information in linguistic-propositional formats). High visualisers benefit more from pictorial advertising elements, product imagery, and concrete visual cues; high verbalisers respond more strongly to text-based arguments and product attribute descriptions. The SOP moderates the effectiveness of ad modality, imagery instructions, and the impact of concrete versus abstract product descriptions. Extensively used in advertising research, sensory marketing, packaging design, and digital communication.

Response format

5-point Likert (1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree); two subscales (Visual and Verbal) scored separately; each subscale averaged

Scale items

Visual Processing Preference (8 items): habitual tendency to encode, store, and retrieve information in pictorial-imagery formats. 5-point Likert. Items averaged.

• I prefer reading materials that contain pictures, diagrams, or figures rather than those without.
• When trying to remember a new item, I create a mental picture of it.
• I can mentally picture a complex scene very easily.
• When I encounter new information, I like to think about it in pictures and images.
• When I daydream, I often experience vivid mental images.
• I find it easier to remember faces than names.
• I enjoy looking at maps, charts, and visual displays of information.
• I often use mental images to help me remember information.

Verbal Processing Preference (7 items): habitual tendency to encode, store, and retrieve information in verbal-linguistic formats. 5-point Likert. Items averaged.

• When trying to remember something, I think in words rather than pictures.
• I prefer reading text to looking at pictures or diagrams.
• I have a good vocabulary and find it easy to express ideas in words.
• I find it easier to remember names than faces.
• I think primarily in words when I am solving a problem.
• I prefer verbal instructions to illustrated ones.
• When learning something new, I prefer written explanations to visual demonstrations.

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

Usage notes & scoring

Visual and Verbal subscales are partially but not perfectly bipolar; report each separately. The SOP measures processing style preference, not processing ability. Distinct from the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) which captures imagery ability. For cross-modal sensory marketing applications, use the SOP together with sensory preference measures.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Childers, T.L., Houston, M.J., & Heckler, S.E. (1985). Measurement of individual differences in visual versus verbal information processing. Journal of Consumer Research, 11(4), 125–131.

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