Impression management by association: Construction and validation of a scale

This study describes the construction and initial validation of a scale tha t measures four indirect impression management tactics identified by Cialdi ni (1989). The scale measures the connection-focused tactics of Boasting, B lurring, Blaring, and Burying. The scale development consisted of the multi ple stage process identified by Hinkin (1998). Stage 1 included holding thr ee separate focus groups to generate the initial items. Stages 2 and 3 incl uded two data collections to first explore and then confirm the factor stru cture of the impression management by association scale. A final data colle ction in Stage 4 assessed the convergent and discriminant validity of the i mpression management by association scale. Overall, the impression manageme nt by association scale satisfactorily represented the four factors concept ualized by Cialdini (1989), although more refinement is needed to better di stinguish the Burying from the Blaring factor. (C) 2001 Academic Press.