The Person-Reported Outcome of Conversational Success (PROCS): Tool development and psychometric validation

Despite the centrality of successful conversation to well-being, psychometrically developed and validated tools to measure this construct are lacking. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Person-Reported Outcome of Conversational Success (PROCS), a measure of conversational success. We define success as the degree to which an interlocutor evaluates a conversation as beneficial, worthwhile, and/or satisfactory. In phase one of development, an initial draft of the PROCS was created based on a literature review, expert input, and established frameworks in communication research. In phase two, cognitive interviews were conducted with 39 participants to assess the measure’s content, format, and usability and further refine the measure. In phase three, 50 participants completed the PROCS in live embodied conversations to assess the measure’s practical effectiveness and usability. Finally, in phase four, psychometric validation was completed using data from 817 participants who completed the PROCS based on recently recalled conversations. The final version of the PROCS can be used to quantify the success of a single conversation. Careful planning of the initial draft of the PROCS coupled with input from participants from a diverse set of user groups across multiple phases of development, ensures the measure’s validity, clarity, usability, and versatility. The PROCS is a valuable tool for assessing conversational success, with applications in both research and clinical practice.