THE SEPARATENESS-CONNECTEDNESS SELF-SCHEMA - SCALE DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION TO MESSAGE CONSTRUCTION

Two studies were conducted to assess separateness-connectedness (SC) a s a new message variable and as a new individual difference variable i n advertising. Study I began the process of developing a Separateness- Connectedness scale based on a sample of 140 college students (97 West erners and 43 non-Westerners, 81 males and 59 females) attending a mid western university. The 9-item, a-factor scale revealed good reliabili ty and construct validity. The structure of the overall model was then successfully tested on a new sample by confirmatory factor analysis. In Study II an experiment assessed whether the separateness/connectedn ess self-schema would moderate the effect of using either a connected or a separated advertising appeal on consumers' attitude toward the ad . As predicted, a significant interaction effect was found. The result s revealed that individuals with a separate self-schema preferred a se parated advertising theme, and individuals with a connected self-schem a preferred a connected advertising theme. Implications for advertisin g managers, the studies' limitations, and future research directions a re also discussed. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.