Cognitive Flexibility Inventory – Chinese Version

Description

Cognitive flexibility (认知灵活性) refers to an individual’s ability to freely alter their cognitive processes in response to different stimuli or changes in the environment. Research indicates that individuals with higher levels of cognitive flexibility possess stronger problem-solving abilities, interpersonal skills, and more positive coping strategies. Conversely, individuals with low cognitive flexibility often experience various mental health issues, such as aggressive behavior, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anorexia, anxiety disorders, and unipolar mood disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy (认知行为疗法, CBT) posits that rigid and inflexible thinking is a significant factor contributing to abnormal emotions or behaviors, and improving cognitive flexibility can facilitate improvements in abnormal psychological states, particularly in depression.

Patients with depression exhibit extreme rigidity in their cognitive patterns, often leaning towards dichotomous, all-or-nothing thought processes. This cognitive rigidity makes depressed individuals more prone to automatically accepting certain negative beliefs, which perpetuate their depressed state, creating a vicious cycle. By guiding depressed patients to debate their automatic negative cognitions, helping them recognize the fallacies in their thinking, and replacing these with more flexible and adaptive cognitive strategies, this vicious cycle can be broken, leading to effective alleviation of depressive emotions. This approach is regarded by CBT as the most effective intervention for depression and has received empirical support.

Authors and Contact Email

Wang Yang, Yang Yan, Xiao Wanting, Su Qin

Purpose

The assessment of cognitive flexibility is particularly important as it can indirectly reflect the effectiveness of interventions for depression.

Test Year

Information not available.

Administration Method and Scoring

The Chinese version of the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (CFI) is presented as a questionnaire regarding individuals’ views and feelings about their own behaviors. Respondents should assess themselves according to the following scale:
1. 从不 (Never)
2. 很少 (Rarely)
3. 有时 (Sometimes)
4. 经常 (Often)
5. 总是 (Always)

Reliability and Validity

Information not available.

Factors and Subscales

Information not available.

Keywords

Cognitive Flexibility, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Depression, Mental Health

Items in Chinese

1. 我擅于分析和评估各种情境和局面
2. 面对困难局面时我不知如何决策
3. 在做决定之前，我会考虑多种选择
4. 处于困境时，我感到无力控制局面
5. 我总能从不同的角度看待困难
6. 在分析事情原因时，我会搜集额外的信息帮助判断
7. 面对困难我感到焦虑不安，以至于无法想出任何解决方法
8. 分析问题时，我会尝试考虑别人的观点
9. 当一个问题存在多种解决方法时，我会感到手足无措
10. 我擅于从别人的角度看问题
11. 遇到困难时我会不知所措
12. 从多种角度来看待困境非常重要
13. 在决定如何应对困难时，我会权衡不同的解决方法
14. 分析问题时，我常常采用新的思路
15. 我有能力解决生活中遇到的问题
16. 在解释一件事情发生的原因时，我会考虑所有的事实和信息
17. 面对困境时，我感觉自己没法改变什么
18. 面对困难时，我会先静下心来思考多种解决方法
19. 我能够想出不止一种方法解决我所面对的困难
20. 在处理问题前，我会考虑多种应对方法

Items in English

1. I am good at analyzing and evaluating various situations.
2. I don’t know how to make decisions when facing difficult situations.
3. I consider multiple options before making a decision.
4. I feel unable to control situations when in trouble.
5. I can always look at difficulties from different perspectives.
6. When analyzing the causes of issues, I gather additional information to help make judgments.
7. I feel anxious and unsettled when facing difficulties, to the point that I cannot come up with any solutions.
8. When analyzing problems, I try to consider other people’s viewpoints.
9. I feel at a loss when a problem has multiple solutions.
10. I am good at seeing things from other people’s perspectives.
11. I feel perplexed when faced with difficulties.
12. It is crucial to look at difficulties from multiple angles.
13. When deciding how to cope with difficulties, I weigh different solutions.
14. I often adopt new ideas when analyzing problems.
15. I have the ability to solve problems I encounter in life.
16. When explaining the causes of a situation, I consider all facts and information.
17. I feel like I can’t change anything when facing difficulties.
18. When facing difficulties, I first calm down and think of multiple solutions.
19. I can think of more than one way to solve the difficulties I face.
20. Before handling problems, I consider various coping methods.

References

王阳,杨燕,肖婉婷,苏勤.认知灵活性问卷中文版测评大学生样本的效度和信度[J].中国心理卫生杂志,2016,30(01):58-63.王湃. 儿童期心理虐待对认知灵活性的影响[D].哈尔滨师范大学,2017.