The use of expert judges in scale development. Implications for improving face validity of measures of unobservable constructs

A review of the assessment of face validity in consumer-related scale development research is reported, suggesting that concerns over the lack of consistency and guidance regarding item retention during the expert judging phase of scale development are warranted. After analyzing data from three scale development efforts, guidance regarding the application of different decision rules to use for item retention is offered. Additionally, the results suggest that research using new, changed, or previously unexamined scale items should, at a minimum, be judged for face validity.