Exchange and Communal Orientations (ECO) Scale: The Construction and Validation of a Method to Measure Relational Orientations Toward a Specific Other

This paper introduces the ECO scale—a novel self-report measure to assess the degree to which individuals exhibit a dispositional tendency to orient themselves according to communal or exchange rules when establishing and maintaining relationships with others. In a series of four studies (total N = 2,716) conducted with diverse samples of Polish and the U.S. participants, we have documented that the 20-item ECO scale in two language versions (English and Polish) is a psychometrically solid measure that can be used in different research settings. In Studies 1-3, we demonstrate the two-dimensional structure of the scale and provide support for configural, metric, residual, and partial scalar invariance of the scale across Poland and the US. Study 2 supports the discriminant and construct validity of the scale, and demonstrates gender differences across orientations. Study 3 confirms the convergent and divergent validity of the communal and exchange dimensions. Finally, Study 4 demonstrates the high test-retest reliability of the scale.