Written Information Processing Fluency

What it measures

A six-item semantic differential scale assessing both the ease and the pleasantness of reading and mentally processing a piece of written text. Items pair difficulty/ease and unpleasantness/pleasantness across three cognitive dimensions: reading, processing, and understanding.

Response format

7-point semantic differential

Scale items

• difficult to read / easy to read
• unpleasant to read / pleasant to read
• difficult to process / easy to process
• unpleasant to process / pleasant to process
• difficult to understand / easy to understand
• unpleasant to understand / pleasant to understand

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

Usage notes & scoring

Used as a post-test manipulation check in a CSR communication study. Phrases drawn from White and Peloza (2009). Covers three paired dimensions: reading, processing, and understanding—each rated on both ease and pleasantness.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Hildebrand, D., DeMotta, Y., Sen, S., & Valenzuela, A. (2017). Consumer responses to corporate social responsibility (CSR) contribution type. Journal of Consumer Research, 44(4), 738–758.

Keywords