Cognitive Flexibility Scale (CFS)

Background

The Cognitive Flexibility Scale (CFS) is a 12-item self-report questionnaire designed to measure a person's self-assessed ability to adapt their thinking and behavior in social and communication contexts.

The CFS was published by Matthew Martin and Rebecca Rubin in 1995 and specifically targets these three components of 'Cognitive Flexibility':

1. The awareness that different approaches can be taken
2. The willingness to continuously adjust one's own behavior
3. The confidence in the ability to master the challenge ('self-efficacy')

Task Procedure

The CFS consists of twelve 6-point Likert scale questions with the anchors ranging from 1 ("Strongly Disagree") to 6 ("Strongly Agree"). Total scores range from 12 to 72, with higher scores indicating greater perceived cognitive flexibility. Four items are reverse-coded to ensure response accuracy. The questions can be answered in approximately 2 minutes.

What it Measures

The CFS is a measure of self-perceived cognitive flexibility in dealing with social and communication challenges

Psychological domains

• Interpersonal Competence: The ability to effectively adapt communication styles across different social situations.
• Social Adaptation: The ability to understand different perspectives and adjust one's behavior accordingly.
• Conflict Resolution: The capacity to generate and consider multiple interpretations and solutions during interpersonal disagreements.

Main Performance Metrics

• Total Score: The sum of all twelve responses, ranging from 12 to 72 with higher scores suggesting higher cognitive self-assessed cognitive flexibility abilities

Psychiatric Conditions

The following patient groups tend to show lower scores on the CFS

• Eating Disorders (ED)
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Depression and Anxiety
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
• Schizophrenia

References

Search Google Scholar for peer-reviewed, published research using the Inquisit Cognitive Flexibility Scale (CFS).

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Martin, M. M. & Rubin, R.B. (1995). A new measure of cognitive flexibility. Psychological Reports, 76, 623-626

Martin, Matthew M, and Carolyn M Anderson. “The Cognitive Flexibility Scale: Three Validity Studies.” Communication Reports, vol. 11, no. 1, 1998, pp. 1–9.