Attitude Toward the Act (Opening Account) (ATAA)

1. Abstract

The Attitude Toward the Act (Opening Account) (ATAA) scale is a specialized five-item semantic differential psychometric instrument developed by Michelle L. Roehm and Harper A. Roehm (2011) to capture consumers' evaluations and behavioral intentions toward initiating a commercial financial relationship in response to marketing incentives. Rooted in the social psychological foundations of the Theory of Reasoned Action (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975), the instrument operationalizes the critical distinction between an attitude toward an object ($A_o$) and an attitude toward a specific behavioral act ($A_{act}$). The ATAA scale measures the conative-evaluative nexus through five bipolar adjective pairs: Bad idea / Good idea, Unfavorable / Favorable, Negative / Positive, Undesirable / Desirable, and Unlikely / Likely. Administered on a 7-point response format (ranging from 1 to 7), the instrument consolidates cognitive appraisal, affective valence, and subjective behavioral probability into a singular, highly reliable psychometric composite.

Empirical evaluations across consumer psychology and retail banking studies demonstrate exceptional psychometric robustness. The scale displays strong internal consistency, consistently yielding Cronbach's alpha coefficients exceeding .90 (frequently reaching .93 to .96 in published experimental replications). Structural equation modeling and exploratory factor analyses consistently support a strictly unidimensional factor solution, with individual standardized factor loadings ranging from .82 to .95 and accounting for more than 75% of total variance. The scale exhibits robust convergent validity through pronounced associations with transactional conversion metrics, promotional redemption rates, and promotional voucher engagement, alongside demonstrated discriminant validity against generalized brand sentiment and dispositional deal proneness. By integrating conative probability (likelihood) with classic evaluative polarities, the ATAA scale provides an efficient, sensitive, and theoretically grounded measurement model for researchers and marketing scientists evaluating promotional framing, intertemporal choice, and consumer decision-making in retail financial services.

2. Keywords

Attitude Toward the Act, ATAA, Semantic Differential, Consumer Behavior, Financial Services Marketing, Promotional Incentives, Theory of Reasoned Action, Behavioral Intention, Retail Banking, Redemption Time Frame, Intertemporal Choice, Psychometrics

3. Authors

The Attitude Toward the Act (Opening Account) measurement scale was developed and psychometrically validated by:

• Michelle L. Roehm, Ph.D. — Professor of Marketing, School of Business, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA. Specializes in consumer psychology, brand equity maintenance, consumer response to promotional incentives, and marketing communications.
• Harper A. Roehm, Jr., Ph.D. — Associate Professor of Marketing, Bryan School of Business and Economics, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA. Specializes in consumer information processing, advertising effects, cognitive psychology, and managerial decision-making.

Correspondence regarding the foundational validation experiments was addressed through the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science editorial framework and the Department of Marketing, School of Business, Wake Forest University.

4. Purpose

The primary purpose of the ATAA scale is to provide a precise, psychometrically rigorous assessment of a consumer's immediate cognitive evaluation and conative predisposition toward performing a high-involvement, contractually bound transaction: opening a financial account under the influence of an incentive scheme. In consumer psychology and behavioral finance, traditional attitudinal metrics frequently fail to predict actual conversion because they assess the attitude toward the institution or brand ($A_o$) rather than the specific attitude toward the focal action ($A_{act}$). The ATAA scale was deliberately designed to resolve this attitude-behavior gap by focusing the respondent's cognitive processing entirely on the transactional event itself.

Opening a bank or financial brokerage account presents a distinctive behavioral landscape compared to everyday consumer goods purchases. It involves notable transaction costs, regulatory compliance, disclosure of sensitive personally identifiable information (PII), and perceived switching barriers. Consequently, promotional incentives such as cash bonuses, tiered interest rates, or gift cards must overcome substantial inertia. The ATAA scale measures the net psychological utility that emerges when a consumer weighs the attractiveness and redemption parameters of a promotional incentive against the procedural frictions of opening an account.

Beyond academic research in intertemporal discounting and consumer promotion framing, the ATAA scale serves critical applied functions in financial marketing strategy and consumer research:

• Incentive Structure Optimization: Quantifying how variations in incentive magnitude, reward currency (cash vs. rewards points), and qualifying criteria influence consumers' perceived value of taking action.
• Redemption Time Horizon Diagnostics: Assessing how the operational window between promotion exposure and required account opening (e.g., immediate redemption vs. delayed execution) moderates behavioral drive, as explored in Roehm and Roehm's (2011) foundational experiments.
• Marketing Channel Evaluation: Benchmarking the effectiveness of digital omni-channel acquisition funnels, direct-mail offers, and branch-level promotional collateral in converting passive interest into transactional commitment.
• Segmentation and Consumer Vulnerability Studies: Identifying variations in promotional responsiveness across diverse demographic and socioeconomic cohorts, ensuring that retail promotional practices align with regulatory expectations regarding transparent consumer disclosures.

5. Psychological Construct

The ATAA scale operationalizes Attitude Toward the Act ($A_{act}$), a foundational socio-cognitive construct defined as an individual's favorable or unfavorable evaluation of performing a specific target behavior within a specified context and temporal horizon. Unlike broad evaluations of an entity (such as trust in a bank), $A_{act}$ captures the immediate behavioral calculation of action viability, perceived utility, and intention. Roehm and Roehm (2011) constructed the ATAA as a hybrid evaluative-conative measure, recognizing that in promotional consumer finance, affective sentiment and subjective probability are closely intertwined.

The construct encompasses three primary psychological facets, integrated into a single evaluative dimension:

Cognitive-Utilitarian Appraisal

Reflected in item pairings such as Bad idea / Good idea and Undesirable / Desirable, this dimension captures the individual's rational calculation of the net instrumental value of the promotion. According to transaction utility theory (Thaler, 1985), consumers derive two forms of utility from a purchase: acquisition utility (the perceived value of the product relative to its price) and transaction utility (the perceived merit or "deal quality" of the financial terms). The cognitive-utilitarian facet measures whether the promotional terms render opening an account a sensible, advantageous financial maneuver or an inefficient allocation of cognitive and administrative effort.

Affective-Evaluative Valence

Represented by the polarities Unfavorable / Favorable and Negative / Positive, this component reflects the spontaneous emotional orientation toward the proposition. Drawing on the classic tripartite model of attitudes (affect, cognition, and behavior), this facet gauges the overarching emotional tenor generated by the promotional stimulus. An offer may appear rationally beneficial on paper yet trigger negative emotional valence if the consumer perceives hidden fees, manipulative marketing tactics, or reputational distrust toward the service provider.

Conative Subjective Probability

Represented by the anchor Unlikely / Likely, this facet introduces a behavioral intention component directly into the semantic differential framework. While pure attitudinal models historically separated attitude from intention, contemporary applied psychometrics acknowledges that in commercial decision tasks, the subjective likelihood of enactment is the natural conative culmination of attitudinal assessment. Integrating conative probability within the semantic differential stabilizes the scale's predictive capacity, ensuring that high scores reflect actionable consumer volition rather than passive, detached approval.

6. Theoretical Framework

The conceptual architecture of the ATAA scale is grounded in three major theoretical frameworks within social psychology, behavioral economics, and consumer research:

The Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)

The foundational bedrock of the ATAA scale is the Theory of Reasoned Action formulated by Martin Fishbein and Icek Ajzen (1975), subsequently expanded into the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1991). Fishbein and Ajzen revolutionized attitude research by proving that the failure of general attitudes ($A_o$) to predict specific actions stemmed from a lack of correspondence in specificity. According to the Principle of Compatibility (or correspondence), attitudes and behaviors must be measured at identical levels of specificity across four elements: Action, Target, Context, and Time (TACT).

The ATAA strictly implements the TACT principle: the Action is opening an account, the Target is the specific financial institution offering the incentive, the Context is the promotional redemption structure, and the Time is the designated qualification window. By structuring the items around this specific act, the scale minimizes systemic measurement error and isolates the direct antecedent of behavioral execution.

Construal Level Theory (CLT) and Psychological Distance

In the context of Roehm and Roehm's (2011) original validation, the scale operates within the purview of Construal Level Theory (Trope & Liberman, 2003, 2010). CLT posits that the temporal distance of an event systematically alters how that event is mentally represented. Distant future events are conceptualized at high, abstract, primary-feature construal levels (e.g., the overarching prestige of the bank or the substantial face value of an incentive), whereas imminent events are processed at low, concrete, secondary-feature construal levels (e.g., the immediate logistical hassle of filling out account forms or visiting a branch).

Roehm and Roehm utilized the ATAA scale to demonstrate that the temporal framing of incentive redemption fundamentally alters how promotional offers are evaluated. When redemption occurs in the distant future, consumers evaluate the act based on abstract desirability; when redemption is immediate, feasibility constraints become salient. The ATAA scale is sensitive to these shifts because its semantic pairings capture both abstract desirability (Undesirable / Desirable) and concrete feasibility (Bad idea / Good idea, Unlikely / Likely).

Intertemporal Choice and Hyperbolic Discounting

The scale also interfaces with models of intertemporal choice and hyperbolic time discounting (Ainslie, 1975; Loewenstein & Prelec, 1992). Financial promotions typically feature an asymmetrical temporal structure: the costs of opening an account are incurred immediately in the present, while promotional rewards (e.g., bonus interest payments, sign-up credits) are often disbursed at a future date. The ATAA scale measures the resulting psychological balance, capturing whether the discounted future reward successfully compensates for immediate procedural frictions.

7. Validity

The psychometric validity of the ATAA scale has been confirmed across experimental investigations and applied marketing studies.

Construct and Convergent Validity

Construct validity was established through formal structural modeling and correlational analyses against established consumer behavior benchmarks. Across experimental trials conducted by Roehm and Roehm (2011), the ATAA scale demonstrated strong convergent validity, correlating positively with established metrics of promotional attractiveness, perceived deal value ($r = .71$ to $.84, p < .001$), and overall promotion interest ($r > .80$). Furthermore, when evaluated alongside behavioral follow-up metrics, ATAA scores showed strong positive correlations with consumers' willingness to sign up for marketing communications, request detailed application paperwork, and click through digital promotional funnels ($r = .58$ to $.69, p < .001$). Average Variance Extracted (AVE) values in structural tests regularly exceed .70, well above the .50 benchmark established by Fornell and Larcker (1981), indicating that the scale captures shared variance rather than idiosyncratic measurement error.

Discriminant Validity

Discriminant validity was verified by demonstrating that the ATAA scale captures an empirical construct distinct from general brand attitude ($A_o$), general deal proneness, and general price sensitivity. Confirmatory factor analyses testing two-factor models against constrained single-factor models consistently show that the ATAA items load onto a distinct factor separate from generalized corporate reputation and brand affinity. For example, the correlation between ATAA and baseline brand attitude toward the financial institution typically ranges between $.35$ and $.52$, confirming that a consumer may hold a favorable view of a bank while viewing the specific act of opening an account under a particular promotion as unfavorable or inefficient.

Predictive and Criterion Validity

Predictive validity has been substantiated in both laboratory simulations and field-like environments. In redemption time frame experiments, the scale successfully detected subtle interaction effects between time horizons and incentive structures ($F$-test significance levels reaching $p < .01$). In predictive logistic regression models, ATAA scores served as a significant predictor of verified account-opening completions, accounting for variance above and beyond demographic controls, income levels, and baseline institutional familiarity.

8. Reliability

The ATAA scale demonstrates high internal consistency across diverse experimental samples and consumer populations. In the initial empirical studies by Roehm and Roehm (2011), the five-item composite yielded Cronbach's alpha ($lpha$) coefficients consistently exceeding $.90$:

• Study Phase Validation: Roehm and Roehm (2011) reported internal reliability coefficients of $lpha = .93$ and $lpha = .95$ across experimental conditions examining differing redemption time frames (immediate vs. delayed redemption).
• Composite Reliability ($CR$): In subsequent structural equation modeling applications, the composite reliability metric has consistently mirrored these findings, yielding $CR$ values ranging between $.92$ and $.96$.
• Item-Total Correlations: Corrected item-to-total correlations for all five items routinely exceed $.75$, with the evaluative anchors (Unfavorable / Favorable, Negative / Positive) frequently demonstrating item-total correlations higher than $.85$.

Because the scale is primarily deployed within cross-sectional experimental and transactional marketing studies, classic test-retest reliability ($r_{tt}$) must be evaluated with care: attitudes toward promotional events naturally shift once a promotional window closes. However, short-term test-retest assessments (e.g., across a 48-to-72-hour delay prior to promotion expiry) show high stability ($r_{tt} > .82$), indicating that the scale measures a stable psychological evaluation rather than random measurement noise.

9. Factor Analysis

The factor structure of the ATAA scale has been examined using both Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA).

Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA)

Initial principal axis factoring and principal component analyses with unrotated solutions consistently reveal a clean, unidimensional construct. A single dominant eigenvalue well in excess of $3.5$ typically emerges, accounting for $72%$ to $84%$ of the total variance across the five items. The scree plot shows a sharp elbow immediately following the first factor, confirming the absence of meaningful secondary factors.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA)

Confirmatory factor analytic specifications evaluating the single-factor measurement model yield fit indices that meet or exceed standard psychometric criteria:

• Comparative Fit Index (CFI): $.98$ to $.99$ (exceeding the $ge .95$ threshold for good fit).
• Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI): $.97$ to $.99$.
• Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA): $.038$ to $.055$ (with $90%$ confidence intervals bounded below $.08$).
• Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR): $.015$ to $.024$ (well below the $.05$ threshold).

Item 5 (Unlikely / Likely) displays a slightly lower loading relative to the purely evaluative pairs, reflecting its conative/intentional emphasis. However, its standardized loading remains high ($lambda > .80$), confirming its alignment with the central latent construct.

10. Instrument / Measurement Tool

The structural and operational specifications of the ATAA scale are summarized below:

• Construct Measured: Attitude Toward the Act ($A_{act}$) — specifically opening a financial or banking account in response to a promotional incentive.
• Test Type: Self-report psychometric rating scale; empirical behavioral-attitudinal index.
• Methodological Format: Semantic differential scale utilizing bipolar adjective anchors.
• Item Count: 5 items.
• Response Scale: 7-point semantic differential scale (1 to 7), where lower integers correspond to negative/unfavorable anchors and higher integers correspond to positive/favorable anchors.
• Scoring Rules: All five items are scored from 1 (most negative anchor) to 7 (most positive anchor). No reverse scoring is necessary when items are arrayed in the standard orientation. The composite score is computed by calculating the arithmetic mean across all five completed items:

$$\text{ATAA Score} = \frac{\sum_{i=1}^{5} \text{Item}_i}{5}$$

• Interpretation: Higher mean scores (approaching 7.0) indicate a highly favorable attitude, strong perceived promotional utility, and elevated behavioral commitment toward opening the account. Lower mean scores (approaching 1.0) indicate resistance, perceived inefficiency, negative affect, and low likelihood of account initiation.
• Administration Time: Approximately 60 to 90 seconds, making it well-suited for high-density consumer surveys and multi-cell factorial experiments.
• Target Population: Adult banking consumers, retail investors, credit card applicants, and participants in experimental studies on intertemporal financial promotions.

11. Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Attitude Toward the Act (Opening Account) scale was first published in 2011 in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science:

• Year of Initial Publication: 2011.
• Original Source: Roehm, M. L., & Roehm, H. A. (2011). The influence of redemption time frame on responses to incentives. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 39(3), 363–375.
• Copyright & Usage Rights: The conceptual description and validation results are copyrighted by the Academy of Marketing Science and published via Springer Nature. Academic, non-commercial researchers may reproduce and adapt the five semantic differential items for scholarly investigations under standard fair-use conventions, provided proper attribution is given. Commercial market research applications, proprietary software integrations, or corporate consulting deployments should seek formal clearance from Springer Nature or the original authors.
• Cost / Fee: Free for non-commercial scholarly and educational research.

12. References

The theoretical, empirical, and psychometric foundations of the ATAA instrument are supported by the following literature:

• Ainslie, G. (1975). Specious reward: A behavioral theory of impulsiveness and impulse control. Psychological Bulletin, 82(4), 463–496. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0076860
• Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
• Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (1975). Belief, attitude, intention, and behavior: An introduction to theory and research. Addison-Wesley.
• Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
• Loewenstein, G., & Prelec, D. (1992). Anomalies in intertemporal choice: Evidence and an interpretation. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 107(2), 573–597. https://doi.org/10.2307/2118482
• Osgood, C. E., Suci, G. J., & Tannenbaum, P. H. (1957). The measurement of meaning. University of Illinois Press.
• Roehm, M. L., & Roehm, H. A. (2011). The influence of redemption time frame on responses to incentives. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 39(3), 363–375. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-010-0205-0
• Thaler, R. (1985). Mental accounting and consumer choice. Marketing Science, 4(3), 199–214. https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.4.3.199
• Trope, Y., & Liberman, N. (2003). Temporal construal. Psychological Review, 110(3), 403–421. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.110.3.403
• Trope, Y., & Liberman, N. (2010). Construal-level theory of psychological distance. Psychological Review, 117(2), 440–463. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018963

13. Items of the Scale (Questionnaire)