Verbal Commentary on Physical Appearance Scale – VCOPAS
Measures the frequency and emotional impact of positive and negative verbal commentary about physical appearance.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Verbal Commentary on Physical Appearance Scale – VCOPAS was developed by Sylvia Herbozo, J. Kevin Thompson (2006). It is designed to measure Verbal commentary on physical appearance. The scale is intended for use with Adults and adolescents.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 28 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Exercise/Eating Commentary, Positive General Appearance Commentary, Negative Appearance Commentary, Positive Body Commentary.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Exercise/Eating Commentary | 1,3,13 | 3 |
| Positive General Appearance Commentary | 2,6,12,16,18,22,27 | 7 |
| Negative Appearance Commentary | 4,8,11,14,17,19,21,23,25,26 | 10 |
| Positive Body Commentary | 5,7,9,10,15,20,24,28 | 8 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Never / Very Positive, 2 = Seldom / Positive, 3 = Sometimes / Neutral, 4 = Often / Negative, 5 = Always / Very Negative.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 28 to 140. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low frequency of appearance commentary: 28 – 56
- Moderate frequency of appearance commentary: 57 – 98
- High frequency of appearance commentary: 99 – 140
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha ranges from .78 to .94 for the subscales.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.