Error Proneness Questionnaire : Construction, Reliability and Validity

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to construct a questionnaire measuring error proneness. 622 university and college students responded to 45 error-behavior items, including 25 items from the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ ; Broadbent et al., 1982). Factor@@ analysis yielded 3 factors : Action Slip, Cognitive Narrowing, and Impulsive Error. 25 items were selected to construct these 3 error proneness scales. The scales had an acceptable level of internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The relation between the scales and measures of attentional style or digit-span performance was examined. Action Slip and Cognitive Narrowing correlated significantly and positively with the External/Internal Overload measure of the Test of Attentional and Interpersonal Style (TAIS). Also, Cognitive Narrowing correlated negatively with Broad External/Internal Attention on that same test, and with digit-span performance. No relation was found between Impulsive Error and measures of attentional style or performance. The results confirmed the construct validity of each scale. Further research on the questionnaire is needed for validation.