Situational Communication Apprehension Measure – SCAM
Measures the level of anxiety or apprehension experienced by an individual during a specific communication encounter.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Situational Communication Apprehension Measure – SCAM was developed by Virginia P. Richmond (1978). It is designed to measure Situational Communication Apprehension. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 20 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Extremely inaccurate, 2 = Moderately inaccurate, 3 = Somewhat inaccurate, 4 = Neither accurate nor inaccurate, 5 = Somewhat accurate, 6 = Moderately accurate, 7 = Extremely accurate.
The scale includes 10 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 20 to 140. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Situational Communication Apprehension: 20 – 50
- Moderate Situational Communication Apprehension: 51 – 80
- High Situational Communication Apprehension: 81 – 140
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Typically high (alpha > .85-90).
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.