The validity of attribute-importance measurement: A review

Koert Van Ittersum, Joost Pennings (), Brian Wansink and Hans C.M. van Trijp
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Johannes M. Pennings

Journal of Business Research, 2007, vol. 60, issue 11, 1177-1190

Abstract: A critical review of the literature demonstrates a lack of validity among the ten most common methods for measuring the importance of attributes in behavioral sciences. The authors argue that one of the key determinants of this lack of validity is the multi-dimensionality of attribute importance. Building on the notable work of Myers and Alpert (1968) [Myers JH, Alpert MI. Determinant buying attitudes: Meaning and measurement. J Mark 1968;32(July):13-20], they propose that different methods measure different dimensions of attribute importance and, more specifically, what methods measure which specific dimensions. A re-examination of existing research reveals convergent and nomological validity among methods that are proposed to measure the same dimensions of attribute importance and discriminant validity between methods that are proposed to measure different dimensions of attribute importance. Acknowledging the multi-dimensionality of attribute importance substantially reduces the apparent lack of validity reported in the literature and forms an important first step enabling practitioners and scholars to improve the validity of attribute-importance measurement.

Keywords: Attribute; importance; Measurement; Convergent; validity; Nomological; validity; Discriminant; validity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (30)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148-2963(07)00105-1
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:60:y:2007:i:11:p:1177-1190

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Business Research is currently edited by A. G. Woodside

More articles in Journal of Business Research from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().