1. Behavioral Attitude Measurement Theory Don W. Stacks, Ph.D. School of Communication University of Miami Coral Gables, FL 33124 and The Institute for Public Relations

2. What is Measurement? Assigning numbers to objects or concepts systematically With ways to assess measurement validity and reliability

3. Assessing Objectives via Measurement A way of assessing public relations objectives Simple — counts – informational Complex – thematic – Motivational Observational – counts — Behavioral Via data Categorical (nominal, ordinal: #, %) Continuous (interval, ratio: Mean, Median, Mode, variance)

4. Measuring Behavioral Objectives Opinions  Behavior but consist of verbal expressions of: Attitudes Beliefs Values

5. Attitude Dimensions Cognitive (informative) Affective (emotional) Connotative (behavioral)

6. Attitude Scaling Validity Reflects the objective of the measurement Can be assessed qualitatively and statistically Reliability Reflects stability in measurement Can be assessed statistically

7. Creating Attitude Scales Usually asks Ps to respond to an attitude statement on a continuum. Response is closed-ended: –Measurement is goodSA A N D SD –This panel’s participants did a good jobSA A N D SD

8. Requirements (cont’d.) Must allow for a neutral response To be valid each item must contain an odd number of responses (3, 5, 7, 9) SA A N D SD

9. Requirements (cont’d.) Responses must be balanced Excellent antonym is Terrible, not Bad Excellent Bad Must consist of of least 2 or more statements (to assess for measurement reliability)

10. Things to Avoid “Double-barreled” statements Watch: statements with “and,” or “or” Statements with an even number of responses SA A D SD (No response  neutral) Single-item statements Unbalanced responses: Excellent Good Neutral Poor Bad

11. Reliability & Validity unreliable Reliable but not valid Reliable and valid

12. Relationship Between Measurement Reliability & Validity A measure must be reliable or you cannot assess its validity!