Revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory – SOI-R
Measures individual differences in the tendency to engage in casual, uncommitted sexual relationships across behavior, attitude, and desire facets.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory – SOI-R was developed by Lars Penke (2008). It is designed to measure Sociosexual Orientation. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 9 items organized into 3 factors/subscales: Behavior, Attitude, Desire.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Behavior | 1,2,3 | 3 |
| Attitude | 4,5,6 | 3 |
| Desire | 7,8,9 | 3 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: Behavior (Items 1-3) = 1 = 0 partners, 2 = 1 partner, 3 = 2-3 partners, 4 = 4-7 partners, 5 = 8 or more partners, Attitude (Items 4-6) = 1 = Totally Disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neutral, 4 = Agree, 5 = Totally Agree, Desire (Items 7-9) = 1 = Never, 2 = Very Seldom, 3 = About Once a Month, 4 = About Once a Week, 5 = Nearly Every Day.
The scale includes 1 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 1 to 5. Interpretation guidelines:
- Restricted sociosexual orientation (tendency to have sex exclusively in committed relationships): 1 – 2
- Moderate sociosexual orientation: 3 – 3
- Unrestricted sociosexual orientation (tendency for casual sex with low commitment): 4 – 5
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Behavior α = .78-.85, Attitude α = .81-.87, Desire α = .82-.86.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 2 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.