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Development and validation of the Harm Concept Breadth Scale: Assessing individual differences in harm inflation.
Melanie J McGrath1, Nick Haslam1
1Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Plos One
|August 19, 2020
Summary
Harm inflation, or concept creep, is reliably measured by the Harm Concept Breadth Scale (HCBS). This scale assesses how broadly individuals define harm, showing links to morality and political views.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Concept creep describes the expansion of harm and outrage over time.
- Individual differences in this expansion are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate the Harm Concept Breadth Scale (HCBS) to measure individual differences in harm inflation.
- To examine the reliability, validity, and correlates of the HCBS.
Main Methods:
- Three studies (N = 1022) developed and refined the HCBS using vignette-based assessments.
- Internal consistency and construct validity were assessed using various psychometric measures.
- Correlates examined included moral foundations, justice sensitivity, empathy, and personality traits.
Main Results:
- The HCBS demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency and reliability across studies.
- Construct validity was supported by associations with moral, social, and political variables.
- Concept breadth showed weak to moderate links with harm-based morality, prosociality, liberalism, and negative emotionality.
Conclusions:
- The Harm Concept Breadth Scale (HCBS) is a valid and reliable measure of individual differences in harm inflation.
- Understanding concept creep's individual variation is crucial for psychological research.
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