God as a Causal Agent Scale (GCA)
Measures an individual's general predisposition to attribute events to God and divine intervention rather than naturalistic causes.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The God as a Causal Agent Scale (GCA) was developed by Ritzema, R. J., & Young, C. (1983). It is designed to measure Attribution of events to divine intervention. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 14 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Undecided, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree.
The scale includes 7 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 14 to 70. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low predisposition to attribute events to supernatural causes: 14 – 32
- Moderate predisposition to attribute events to supernatural causes: 33 – 51
- High predisposition to attribute events to supernatural causes: 52 – 70
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha of .74.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.