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Individual differences in interpersonal touch: On the development, validation, and use of the “comfort with interpersonal touch” (CIT) scale
Author(s) -
Webb Andrea,
Peck Joann
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of consumer psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.433
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1532-7663
pISSN - 1057-7408
DOI - 10.1016/j.jcps.2014.07.002
Subject(s) - psychology , interpersonal communication , construct (python library) , scale (ratio) , assertiveness , social psychology , interpersonal relationship , interpersonal interaction , cognitive psychology , computer science , physics , quantum mechanics , programming language
This research details the development of the “comfort with interpersonal touch” (CIT) scale designed to measure individual differences in interpersonal touch tendencies and preferences. The CIT construct is defined as the degree to which an individual is comfortable with intentional interpersonal touch from or to another person. The scale incorporates the distinction between initiating touch, which is the act of touching someone else, and receiving touch, which is the act of being touched by someone else. Investigation of this construct includes scale development, measure purification, and validation. We situate CIT‐initiating and CIT‐receiving within an approach–avoidance framework and demonstrate that comfort with initiating touch is more related to approach tendencies such as assertiveness while comfort with receiving touch is more related to avoidant tendencies such as avoiding crowded spaces. While previous research generally finds positive effects of interpersonal touch, we find that these effects, at least in part, depend on an individual's comfort with interpersonal touch. We discuss theoretical and managerial implications as well as future research opportunities using the CIT scale.