Measuring Parasocial Processing: An Easily-Applicable Short Version of the Parasocial Interaction-Process Scales

Research on parasocial phenomena is thriving, and parasocial processing emerged as a key concept in the wake of this trend. The PSI-Process Scales (Schramm & Hartmann, 2008) initially provided a comprehensive tool for assessing parasocial processing, quickly becoming a widely used measure in the field. However, the scale’s extensive length has posed challenges for consistent and full application, often resulting in ad-hoc modifications. To address these limitations, this study derives and systematically tests a shortened version of the PSI-Process Scales, termed the Parasocial Processing Short Scale (PP-SS). The theoretically grounded scale consists of only 9 items – 3 per cognitive, affective, and behavioral parasocial processing. The scale is systematically developed and validated in two preregistered empirical studies, including a one-factorial experiment (n = 258) and a larger survey study (n = 720) that feature a range of different personae and diverse samples. Both studies confirm the PP-SS’ good psychometric quality and validity within the concept’s nomological network, as well as the scale’s invariance across different user groups and personae. In summary, the PP-SS offers scholars a concise and easily applicable instrument that reliably and validly captures parasocial processing.