Personal Need for Structure (PNS) – Chinese Version

Description

People live in a complex world overloaded with information, and their cognitive resources are limited, making information processing tasks particularly challenging. To reduce the burden of information processing, individuals tend to use cognitive structuring strategies to lower the information load. Cognitive structuring involves the creation and use of abstract mental representations (schemas, prototypes, attitudes, and stereotypes), which are simple summaries of existing experiences. This cognitive structuring is not only a universal tendency in humans but also a personality trait with individual differences.

Authors and Contact Email

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Purpose

The research explores how individuals with different levels of structural needs perceive and interact with the surrounding world, especially in situations of perceived low control.

Test Year

Information not available

Administration Method and Scoring

The study involved distributing a questionnaire with a sample size of 1,116, of which 1,042 valid responses were retrieved, resulting in an effective response rate of 93%. The participants comprised 63.8% university students and 36.2% working individuals, with a gender distribution of 46.2% male and 51.5% female, and missing data for 2.3%. The average age of participants was 25.12 ± 7.18 years.

Reliability and Validity

Statistical analysis of the overall sample revealed that the average score for the Personal Need for Structure (PNS) was 44.58, with a standard deviation of 7.87. No significant gender differences were found in PNS scores (p > 0.05), nor were any significant correlations between PNS and age (r = -0.01, p > 0.05). The scale was validated for internal consistency and half-split reliability, with values exceeding 0.80, and retest reliability of 0.79.

Factors and Subscales

The PNS consists of a two-factor model: “对结构的需求” (Need for Structure) and “对缺乏结构的反应” (Response to Lack of Structure).

Keywords

Cognitive structuring, structural need, control perception, consumer behavior, Personal Need for Structure (PNS)

Items in Chinese

1. 进入一个让我无法预料的情境使我感到不安。
2. 我不会因为常规生活被扰乱而心烦。
3. 清晰、有条理的生活模式更适合我。
4. 所有的事情都各就其位，井井有条符合我的习惯。
5. 我发现按部就班的规律生活令我感到单调乏味。
6. 我不喜欢不确定的情境。
7. 我讨厌在最后一分钟改变原来的计划。
8. 我讨厌与行为难以预测的人相处。
9. 我发现建立起一贯的常规让我觉得生活更舒适。
10. 当处于不确定的情境时我感到愉悦。
11. 当我不知道一个情境中的规则时，我会感到不安。

Items in English

1. Entering an unpredictable situation makes me feel uneasy.
2. I do not get upset when my routine life is disrupted.
3. A clear and organized lifestyle suits me better.
4. Having everything in its place and orderly fits my habits.
5. I find that living according to a set routine makes me feel monotonous.
6. I do not like uncertain situations.
7. I hate changing original plans at the last minute.
8. I dislike interacting with people whose behavior is hard to predict.
9. I find that establishing a consistent routine makes me feel more comfortable in life.
10. I feel pleasure when I am in uncertain situations.
11. I feel uneasy when I do not know the rules in a situation.

References

陈阳,黄韫慧,王垒,施俊琦.结构需求量表的信效度检验[J].北京大学学报(自然科学版),2008(03):490-492.DOI:10.13209/j.0479-8023.2008.076.
徐步霄. 系统威胁影响集体自恋的机制[D].华中师范大学,2020.DOI:10.27159/d.cnki.ghzsu.2020.003967.
张凤. 功利论与道义论之外的第三论：权力感对道德困境判断中CNI参数的影响[D].浙江师范大学,2021.DOI:10.27464/d.cnki.gzsfu.2021.000413.