1. TEST DESCRIPTION
Background / Theoretical basis of the test:
The Cognitive Style Questionnaire (CSQ) contains 24 hypothetical events. Of these 24 events, 12 are positive
(e.g. 'In an important class, you are able to get all of the work done that your professor expects of you') and
12 are negative (e.g. 'You don’t look as good as you would like in terms of physical appearance.').
Each of these 24 events has 6 items which brings the total number of items of the CSQ to 144.
This makes the CSQ unattractive to administer in the clinical setting as it takes longer than 30 minutes to
complete.
The CSQ was shortened to the CSQ-SF which consists of 8 hypothetical events relating to failures in academic,
employment and interpersonal relationships. Each of these 8 events has 9 items which brings the total
number of items of the CSQ-SF to 72. These 9 items assess cognitive styles (internality, globality, stability,
negative consequences and self-worth implications). Each item is scored on a 5-likert scale. The higher the
total score the more negative the cognitive style, which correlates in a positive way with depression and
anxiety.
Although the shortened version should reduce the administration time, the CSQ-SF can also take about 30
minutes to complete (Huys et al., 2016). With this, it continues to have a high burden on the clients.
Target group and age range:
The CSQ was originally designed to be administered among the American student population. For the CSQ-
SF, the target group has been expanded to adults. To fill in the questionnaire the client must be able to read
the English language.
Administration:
The test consists of a paper questionnaire. Each page contains one event and its 9 corresponding items. Each
item is scored on a 5 likert scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree that should be marked with a
pen/pencil. The client is asked to imagine as vividly as possible a cause related to each event and then to
score the items on the 5-likert scale.
To calculate the final score several items have to be recorded.
Internality is scored by item 1 and 6, globality is scored by item 2 and 7, stability is scored by item 3 and 8,
self-worth implications are scored by item 5 and 9 and negative consequences is scored by item 4.
2. Test evaluation
Manual:
The CSQ-SF is a self-report instrument. The test manual starts with scoring instructions. Here you can find
how many points are allocated to the various answers. In addition, it is clearly shown which items have to be
recoded and which items relate to the subscale.
Then there is an introduction paragraph which explains to the client what he/she should do. Then according
to 8 events, each event has 9 items and the client should score according to how much they agree with the
item. Furthermore, a scoring syntax file can be found at https://arc.psych.wisc.edu/self-report/cognitive-
style-questionnaire-short-form-csq-sf/#:~:text=The%20Cognitive%20Style%20Questionnaire
%2DShort,vulnerabilities%20for%20anxiety%20and%20depression.
Background / Theoretical basis of the test:
The Cognitive Style Questionnaire (CSQ) contains 24 hypothetical events. Of these 24 events, 12 are positive
(e.g. 'In an important class, you are able to get all of the work done that your professor expects of you') and
12 are negative (e.g. 'You don’t look as good as you would like in terms of physical appearance.').
Each of these 24 events has 6 items which brings the total number of items of the CSQ to 144.
This makes the CSQ unattractive to administer in the clinical setting as it takes longer than 30 minutes to
complete.
The CSQ was shortened to the CSQ-SF which consists of 8 hypothetical events relating to failures in academic,
employment and interpersonal relationships. Each of these 8 events has 9 items which brings the total
number of items of the CSQ-SF to 72. These 9 items assess cognitive styles (internality, globality, stability,
negative consequences and self-worth implications). Each item is scored on a 5-likert scale. The higher the
total score the more negative the cognitive style, which correlates in a positive way with depression and
anxiety.
Although the shortened version should reduce the administration time, the CSQ-SF can also take about 30
minutes to complete (Huys et al., 2016). With this, it continues to have a high burden on the clients.
Target group and age range:
The CSQ was originally designed to be administered among the American student population. For the CSQ-
SF, the target group has been expanded to adults. To fill in the questionnaire the client must be able to read
the English language.
Administration:
The test consists of a paper questionnaire. Each page contains one event and its 9 corresponding items. Each
item is scored on a 5 likert scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree that should be marked with a
pen/pencil. The client is asked to imagine as vividly as possible a cause related to each event and then to
score the items on the 5-likert scale.
To calculate the final score several items have to be recorded.
Internality is scored by item 1 and 6, globality is scored by item 2 and 7, stability is scored by item 3 and 8,
self-worth implications are scored by item 5 and 9 and negative consequences is scored by item 4.
2. Test evaluation
Manual:
The CSQ-SF is a self-report instrument. The test manual starts with scoring instructions. Here you can find
how many points are allocated to the various answers. In addition, it is clearly shown which items have to be
recoded and which items relate to the subscale.
Then there is an introduction paragraph which explains to the client what he/she should do. Then according
to 8 events, each event has 9 items and the client should score according to how much they agree with the
item. Furthermore, a scoring syntax file can be found at https://arc.psych.wisc.edu/self-report/cognitive-
style-questionnaire-short-form-csq-sf/#:~:text=The%20Cognitive%20Style%20Questionnaire
%2DShort,vulnerabilities%20for%20anxiety%20and%20depression.
