Cognitive dissonance after purchase: A multidimensional scale

TLDR

Cognitive dissonance is a well‑studied consumer behavior construct, yet no established measurement scale exists, and it is understood to involve both cognitive and emotional components. The study aims to create a 22‑item scale that measures cognitive dissonance immediately after purchase. The scale was developed through a qualitative item‑generation phase followed by quantitative refinement using two independent samples at each stage. The resulting scale demonstrates strong reliability, validity, and a clear factor structure.

Abstract

The concept of cognitive dissonance has been discussed widely in the consumer behavior literature, yet paradoxically, there is no well established scale to measure it. This article describes the development of a 22-item scale for assessing cognitive dissonance immediately after purchase. First, the article discusses the conceptualization of the construct, recognizing that dissonance is not only cognitive in nature, but also has an emotional component, consistent with Festinger's early description of dissonance as a psychologically uncomfortable state. The procedures used to develop and refine the scale are subsequently described. This included a qualitative study to generate the items and two samples for each stage of the quantitative stages of scale refinement. Evidence of the scale's sound psychometric properties, including its reliability, validity and factor structure is given.© 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.