California F Scale – Form 40-45
Measures authoritarian personality traits, including conventionalism, submission to authority, and aggression.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The California F Scale – Form 40-45 was developed by T. W. Adorno, E. Frenkel-Brunswik, D. J. Levinson, & R. N. Sanford (1950). It is designed to measure Authoritarianism. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 30 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: -3 = Strong opposition, -2 = Moderate opposition, -1 = Slight opposition, disagreement, +1 = Slight support, agreement, +2 = Moderate support, +3 = Strong support.
Scoring
Item scores are averaged to produce a mean score.
Total scores range from 1 to 7. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Authoritarianism: 1 – 3
- Moderate Authoritarianism: 3 – 5
- High Authoritarianism: 5 – 7
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.