Interpersonal Communication Satisfaction Inventory (ICSI)

Abstract

The Interpersonal Communication Satisfaction Inventory (ICSI) is a seminal, self-report psychological measure developed by Michael L. Hecht in 1978. It is designed to assess the degree of satisfaction an individual experiences immediately following a specific, dyadic interpersonal communication encounter. The ICSI moves beyond simple measures of enjoyment, focusing instead on the multifaceted dimensions of perceived interaction quality, mutual understanding, and goal achievement within the conversation.

The scale consists of 19 items scored on a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 7 (Strongly Agree). It is widely utilized in communication research to quantify subjective feelings about the quality and outcome of relational interactions and is often treated as a single, comprehensive measure of communication success.

Keywords

Communication satisfaction, Interpersonal communication, Dyadic interaction, Hecht scale, Communication measurement, Relational communication, Psychological assessment.

Authors

Michael L. Hecht

Purpose

The primary purpose of the ICSI is to provide a reliable and valid means of measuring communication satisfaction immediately following an interaction. Hecht developed the scale to operationalize satisfaction as a complex judgment reflecting successful communication outcomes rather than just a general positive feeling.

The inventory helps researchers and practitioners evaluate specific facets that contribute to overall satisfaction, such as perceived effectiveness, relational warmth, and the extent to which participants felt understood and were able to present themselves as desired. It is frequently employed in studies comparing different communication modes (e.g., face-to-face versus mediated) or assessing the efficacy of communication training programs.

Construct

The ICSI measures the psychological construct of Interpersonal Communication Satisfaction. This construct is defined as an affective and cognitive evaluation of a specific communication event, reflecting how well the interaction fulfilled the participant’s expectations and goals.

Hecht’s conceptualization emphasizes that satisfaction is multi-dimensional, encompassing several key areas: Efficiency (the conversation achieved its purpose), Relational Warmth (the interaction was positive, pleasant, and established rapport), Understanding (the participants felt mutually comprehended), and Self-Expression (the individual felt capable of accurately presenting their desired self-image). The scale aims to capture these integrated dimensions in a single score reflecting overall communication satisfaction.

Validity

Initial validation studies conducted by Hecht (1978) focused on establishing strong evidence for both face and content validity, ensuring that the 19 items comprehensively covered the theoretical domain of interpersonal communication satisfaction. The items were selected based on extensive qualitative data regarding satisfying and dissatisfying conversational characteristics.

Subsequent research has supported the ICSI’s construct validity, showing significant correlations with established measures of relational quality, communication competence, and social support. These findings confirm that the scale accurately measures the intended theoretical construct and distinguishes it from related concepts like general mood or relational closeness.

Reliability

The ICSI consistently demonstrates high levels of internal consistency, a crucial indicator of reliability. Studies across various contexts and populations, including Hecht’s original work, typically report Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from 0.85 to 0.95, suggesting that the 19 items measure a unified underlying construct.

Test-retest reliability has also proven favorable, particularly when the time interval between administrations is short and the relational context remains stable, indicating that the measure provides consistent results regarding satisfaction with a specific type of interaction or partner. However, due to the inherent context-dependency of communication satisfaction, scores are expected to vary when measuring interactions with different partners or in distinct scenarios.

Factor Analysis

While the ICSI is most frequently used to generate a single aggregate score for global communication satisfaction, factor analysis has consistently suggested a multi-dimensional structure. Hecht’s foundational work identified several factors, often grouped into categories such as conversational effectiveness, personal involvement, and relational comfort.

Despite the emergence of multiple factors in exploratory analyses, the high inter-correlation among the items allows researchers to confidently use the scale as a highly reliable, single-factor measure of overall satisfaction. Researchers who wish to analyze discrete components of satisfaction may utilize the sub-factors identified in various confirmatory factor analyses, though the 19-item version remains the standard for generalized measurement.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire

Format: 7-point Likert scale (Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree)

Language Available: Primarily English (translations may exist in specific research contexts)

Population Group: Individuals engaged in dyadic communication

Age Group: Adolescents and Adults (typically used in college-age and older samples)

Population Details: Applicable across various relational contexts, including friendships, romantic relationships, and interactions with strangers or colleagues.

Test Methodology: Administered immediately following a specified or recent interaction. Scoring involves summing the responses after reverse-coded items have been adjusted.

Keywords

Communication effectiveness, Dyadic communication, Psychological measurement, Survey instrument, Relational satisfaction, Hecht, 1978, Scale development.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source content.

Correspondence Address: Refer to original academic publications (Hecht, 1978).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The ICSI was first published in 1978 and reaffirmed in subsequent communication research sourcebooks (e.g., 2004). As a standard measure published in academic journals, the ICSI is generally available for use in non-commercial research and educational settings without explicit fees, provided that the original sources (Hecht, 1978) are properly cited.

The instrument is publicly available in several academic repositories and publications. The full instrument structure and context can be viewed at the following source: http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1582&context=scripps_theses.

References

• Hecht, M. L. (1978). The conceptualization and measurement of interpersonal communication satisfaction. Human Communication Research, 4, 253-264. doi:10. 1111/ j.1468-2958.1978.tb00614.x

• Hecht, M. L. (1978). Toward a conceptualization of communication satisfaction. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 64, 47-62. doi: 10.1080/00335637809383411

• Rubin, R. B., Palmgreen, P., & Sypher, H. E. (1994). Communication research measures: A sourcebook. New York: Guilford.

• Hecht, M. L. (2004). Interpersonal communication satisfaction inventory. In R. B. Rubin, P. Palmgreen, & H. E. Sypher (Eds.), Communication research measures: A sourcebook (pp. 217-222). New York, NY: Routledge.

• Shroff, Havovi B. (2014). Family Resiliency, Sense of Coherence, Social Support and Psychosocial Interventions: Reducing Caregiver Burden and Determining the Quality of Life in Persons with Alzheimer’s Disease. Florida Atlantic University, Doctoral Dissertation.

• Whalen, Christina S. (2015). “Is the Reception Better on a Different Channel? Interpersonal Communication Satisfaction of Introverts and Extraverts During Face-to-Face Versus Instant Messenger Conversations”. Scripps Senior Theses. Paper 543. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/543

Items of the Interpersonal communication satisfaction inventory (ICSI)

The ICSI utilizes a 7-point scale:

7= Strongly Agree, 6=Moderately Agree, 5= Slightly Agree, 4=Neutral, 3=Slightly Disagree, 2=Moderately Disagree, 1=Strongly Disagree.

The 19 items are:

1. The other person let me know that I was communicating effectively.
2. Nothing was accomplished.
3. I would like to have another conversation like this one.
4. The other person genuinely wanted to get to know me.
5. I was very dissatisfied with the conversation/communication.
6. I had something new to improve communication.
7. I felt that during the conversation I was able to present myself as I wanted the other person to view me.
8. The other person showed that he/she understood what I said.
9. I was very satisfied with the conversation.
10. The person expressed a lot of interest in what I had to say.
11. I did NOT enjoy the conversation.
12. The other person did NOT provide support for what he/she was saying.
13. I felt I could communicate about anything with the other person.
14. We each got to communicate what we wanted.
15. I felt that we could laugh easily together.
16. The conversation/communication flowed smoothly.
17. The other person changed the topic when his/her feelings were brought into the conversation.
18. The other person frequently said things which added little to the conversation/communication.
19. We talked/communicated about something I was NOT interested in. [The conversation was NOT very interesting or engaging.]

Note on Scoring: Items 2, 5, 6, 11, 12, 17, 18, and 19 should be reverse-coded prior to summing the scale items.