Generalized Attitude Measure – GAM
A semantic differential scale designed to assess a respondent's overall evaluative attitude toward a specific concept, person, or object.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Generalized Attitude Measure – GAM was developed by James C. McCroskey (1966). It is designed to measure Attitude. The scale is intended for use with General population.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 6 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Very strong (left adjective), 2 = Strong (left adjective), 3 = Fairly weak (left adjective), 4 = Undecided / Do not understand, 5 = Fairly weak (right adjective), 6 = Strong (right adjective), 7 = Very strong (right adjective).
The scale includes 3 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 6 to 42. Interpretation guidelines:
- Highly Negative Attitude: 6 – 17
- Moderately Negative Attitude: 18 – 23
- Neutral / Undecided: 24 – 24
- Moderately Positive Attitude: 25 – 30
- Highly Positive Attitude: 31 – 42
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Typically > .90.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 2 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.