Factorial Validity and Measurement Invariance of the Appreciation, Fun, and Suspense Scales Across US-American and German Samples

Recent approaches in entertainment research have extended the scope from hedonic gratifications (fun, suspense) to meaningful and thought-provoking entertainment experiences (appreciation). The present research examines the cross-national measurement validity of these theoretical constructs by testing the factorial structure of the German version of the Appreciation, Fun, and Suspense scales developed by Oliver and Bartsch (2010). Measurement invariance of the scales across US-American (N = 262) and German (N = 274) samples is examined by reanalyzing data sets from two published studies. Findings support the theoretically assumed three-factorial model of the German scale and partial scalar invariance across samples. In addition, exploratory analyses of a third data set (N = 200) revealed that an alternative wording for an item of the Suspense scale may be superior.