The Consumption of Television Programming: Development and Validation of the Connectedness Scale.

The consumption of television programming is of particular interest to consumer researchers because of the potential influence of television characters as referent others. Connectedness characterizes the intensity of the relationship(s) that viewers develop with television programs and their characters. We describe a three-phased research program that develops and presents preliminary validation of a measure of connectedness. We differentiate connectedness from the related but distinct constructs of attitude and involvement. The potential of the connectedness scale to further our understanding of the consumption of television programming and its psychological and sociological effects on viewers are articulated and tested in a series of studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]