Ascription of Responsibility Questionnaire – ARQ
Measures an individual's tendency to attribute responsibility for events and actions to traditional structures, diffuse groups, personal exercise, or individual accountability.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Ascription of Responsibility Questionnaire – ARQ was developed by A. Ralph Hakstian, Peter Suedfeld, Elizabeth J. Ballard, & Richard S. Rank (1986). It is designed to measure Ascription of Responsibility. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 40 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Traditional Focused, Exercised Responsibility, Diffuse Responsibility, Individual Focused Responsibility.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional Focused | 1,5,14,18,26,31,33,39 | 8 |
| Exercised Responsibility | 3,9,12,16,20,24,40 | 7 |
| Diffuse Responsibility | 6,8,15,27,30,34,36 | 7 |
| Individual Focused Responsibility | 2,4,7,10,11,13,17,19,21,22,23,25,28,29,32,35,37,38 | 18 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Disagree strongly, 2 = Disagree somewhat, 3 = Disagree slightly, 4 = Neither agree nor disagree, 5 = Agree slightly, 6 = Agree somewhat, 7 = Agree strongly.
The scale includes 3 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not specified in source text.
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.