Cognitive Failures Questionnaire – CFQ
Measures the frequency of everyday cognitive slips and errors related to attention, memory, and motor function.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire – CFQ was developed by Broadbent D.E., Cooper P.F., FitzGerald P., Parkes K.R. (1982). It is designed to measure Subjective cognitive functioning. The scale is intended for use with Adults and elderly.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 25 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Attention, Memory.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Attention | 1,3,4,5,8,9,10,14,17,18,19,22 | 12 |
| Memory | 2,6,7,11,12,13,15,16,20,21,23,24,25 | 13 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Never, 1 = Hardly ever, 2 = Occasionally, 3 = Quite often, 4 = Very often.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 0 to 100. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low frequency of cognitive failures: 0 – 30
- Moderate frequency of cognitive failures: 31 – 60
- High frequency of cognitive failures: 61 – 100
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.89 – 0.92.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.