This measure was developed for Li & Solomon (2023). It uses respondents’ preference for abstract or concrete descriptors for relational activities to gauge the abstractness of their conception of a relationship. This measure was published as part of the supplemental file for the publication identified below.
| Li, Y., & Solomon, D. H. (2023). Operationalizing relational construal level to test relational turbulence theory: Linking relational turbulence in romantic relationships to interpersonal processes. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 40(1), 102-129. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075221113360 |
Action Descriptor Measure
Instructions: Any behavior can be identified in many ways, for example, one person might describe a behavior as “signing papers”, while another might describe the behavior as “entering a contract”. We are interested in your preferences for how a number of common activities in a romantic relationship should be described. Next, you’ll see a list of these activities, each followed by four ways in which the behavior can be described, presented as two pairs. Your task is to choose your preferred description for each pair. There are no right or wrong answers, and we are interested in your personal preferences – the descriptions that you find most appropriate in each pair.
Items:
| Focal Activity | Concrete | Abstract |
| Doing laundry | Putting clothes in the washing machine Washing clothes | Doing chores Being prepared for the week |
| Watching TV | *Sitting together with the TV on *Watching our favorite show | *Enjoying an evening with my partner *Spending time together |
| Going for a walk | *Walking outsideDoing low impact exercise | *Spending quality time with my partner Enjoying nature together |
| Cleaning the house | Doing housework *Putting things away | Taking care of our home *Preparing for company |
| Going to a hardware store | Picking up supplies *Getting tools | Repairing and renovating *Preparing to do a project together |
| Going to a bookstore | Purchasing a book *Running an errand | Learning each other’s interest *Spending time together |
| Exercising | Going to the gym Doing our favorite workout | Getting in shape Staying healthy |
| Discussing things of a personal nature | Sharing information with my partner Telling stories about our lives | Getting closer Building our relationship |
| Talking on the phone | Calling my partner Using the phone to communicate | Staying in touch Maintaining our relationship |
| Texting | Typing a message *Communicating by text message | Checking in on partner *Connecting with my partner |
| Going to a restaurant | *Eating a meal *Driving somewhere to eat | *Going on a date *Enjoying a special evening |
| Going on a trip | Planning and traveling *Packing and preparing to leave home for a while | Vacationing together *Enjoying new experiences as a couple |
| Going to a movie | *Picking something to see *Going to the movie theatre to watch something | *Having a special evening *Spending time on our relationship |
| Doing outdoors recreation | Hiking, biking, etc. *Doing our favorite outside activity | Enjoying nature together *Having an adventure |
| Going to a play | Buying tickets *Sitting in the theater | Sharing an interest in art *Appreciating art together |
| Attending a sporting event | Wearing a jersey Cheering for our team | Enjoying the competition Sharing our enthusiasm for the sport |
Note. Each focal activity is presented twice, each time with a different pair of alternative descriptors. Each row of descriptors constitutes a pair for participants to choose from. The order of a total of 32 items (16 activities* 2 distinct descriptor pairs) were randomized in the survey. Pairs used in the final scale are marked by*.
Yuwei Li, PhD 