Cambridge Friendship Questionnaire (FQ) – Self-administered

Cambridge Friendship Questionnaire (FQ) – Self-administered
Baron-Cohen and Wheelwright‚ 2003
 
1
a)    I have one or two particular best friends.
b)   I have several friends who I would call best friends.
c)    I don’t have anybody who I would call a best friend.
2
a)    The most important thing about a friendship is ha‎ving somebody to confide in.
b)   The most important thing about a friendship is ha‎ving somebody to have fun with.
3
a)    If I had to pick‚ I would rather have a friend who enjoys doing the same things as me than a friend who feels the same way about life as I do.
b)   If I had to pick‚ I would rather have a friend who feels the same way about life as I do‚ than a friend who enjoys doing the same things as me.
4
a)    I like to be close to people.
b)   I like to keep my distance from people.
5
a)    When I talk with friends on the phone‚ it is usually to make arrangements rather than to chat.
b)   When I talk with friends on the phone‚ it is usually to chat rather than to make arrangements.
6
a)    I tend to think of an activity I want to do and then find somebody to do it with.
b)   I tend to arrange to meet somebody and then think of something to do.
7
a)    I prefer meeting a friend for a specific activity‚ e.g. going to the cinema‚ playing golf.
b)   I prefer meeting a friend for a chat‚ e.g. at a pub‚ at a café.
8
a)    If I moved to a new area‚ I would put more effort into staying in touch with old friends than making new friends.
b)   If I moved to a new area‚ I would put more effort into making new friends than staying in touch with old friends.
9
a)    My friends value me more as someone who is a support to them than as someone to have fun with.
b)   My friends value me more as someone to have fun with than as someone who is a support to them.
10
a)    If a friend had a problem‚ I would be better at discussing their feelings about the problem than coming up with practical solutions
b)   If a friend had a problem‚ I would be better at coming up with practical solutions than discussing their feelings about the problem.
11
a)    If a friend was ha‎ving personal problems‚ I would wait for them to contact me as I wouldn’t want to interfere.
b)   If a friend was ha‎ving personal problems‚ I would contact them to discuss the problem.
12
a)    When I have a personal problem‚ I feel that it is better to work it out on my own.
b)   When I have a personal problem‚ I feel that it is better to share it with a friend.
c)    When I have a personal problem‚ I feel that it is better to try and forget about it.
13
a)    If I have to say something critical to a friend‚ I think it’s best to broach the subject gently.
b)   If I have to say something critical to a friend‚ I think it’s best to just come right out and say it.
14
If I fell out with a good friend and I thought that I hadn’t done anything wrong‚ I would
a)    do whatever it takes to repair the relationship.
b)   be willing to make the first move‚ as long as they reciprocated
c)    be willing to sort out the problem‚ if they made the first move.
d)   not feel able to be their close friend anymore.
15
My ideal working space would be
a)    in an office on my own‚ without any visitors during the day.
b)   in an office on my own‚ with an occasional visitor during the day
c)    in an office with one or two others.
d)   in an open plan office.
For the next set of questions‚ please tick the box to indicate your answer.
16
How easy do you find discussing your feelings with your friends?
Very easy
Quite easy
Not very easy
Quite difficult
Very difficult
17
How easy would you find it to discuss your feelings with a stranger?
Very easy
Quite easy
Not very easy
Quite difficult
Very difficult
 
18
In terms of personality‚ how similar to your friends do you tend to be?
Very similar
Quite similar
Not very similar
Very dissimilar
 
19
In terms of interests‚ how similar to your friends do you tend to be?
Very similar
Quite similar
Not very similar
Very dissimilar
20
How important is it to you what your friends think of you?
Of no importance
Of little importance
Fairly important
Very important
Of upmost importance
 
 
 
 
21
How important is it to you what strangers think of you?
Of no importance
Of little importance
Fairly important
Very important
Of upmost importance
22
How easy do you find it to admit to your friends when you’re wrong?
Very easy
Quite easy
Not very easy
Quite difficult
Very difficult
23
How easy to do you find it to tell a friend about your weaknesses and failures?
Very easy
Quite easy
Not very easy
Quite difficult
Very difficult
24
How easy do you find it to tell a friend about your achievements and successes?
Very easy
Quite easy
Not very easy
Quite difficult
Very difficult
25
How interested are you in the everyday details (e.g. their relationships‚ family‚ what’s currently going on in their lives) of your close friends’ lives?
Completely disinterested
Not very interested
Quite interested
Very interested
26
How interested are you in the everyday details (e.g. their relationships‚ family‚ what’s currently going on in their lives) of your casual friends’ lives?
Completely disinterested
Not very interested
Quite interested
Very interested
27
When you are in a group‚ e.g. at work‚ school‚ church‚ parent group etc.‚ how important is it for you to know the “gossip” e.g. who dislikes who‚ who’s had a relationship with who‚ secrets.
Of no importance
Of little importance
Fairly important
Very important
Of great importance
28
Do you work harder at your career than at maintaining your relationships with friends?
Yes
No
Equal
29
How often do you make plans to meet with friends?
Once or twice a year
Once every 2 or 3 months
Once a month
Once every couple of weeks
Once or twice a week
3 or 4 times a week
More than any of the above
30
How would you prefer to keep in touch with friends?
(Please put: 1 in the box next to your most preferred method
2 in the box next to your second preference
3 in the box next to your third preference)
 
Face to face contact
 
Email/letters
 
Telephone calls
31
How easy to do you find it to make new friends?
Very easy
Quite easy
Not very easy
Quite difficult
Very difficult
 
 
 
 
 
32
What would be the minimum social contact you would need to get through a day?
No contact – I don’t get lonely
Just being near to people‚ even if I am not talking to them
A casual chat‚ e.g.‚ with a shop assistant or hairdresser
A chat with a friend
Two or three chats with friends during the day
More than any of the above
33
What would be the minimum social contact you would need to get through a week?
None – I don’t get lonely
Being around people‚ even if I wasn’t talking to them
Casual chats‚ e.g. with a shop assistant or hairdresser
One chat with a friend
Two or three chats during the week with friends
One chat every day with a friend
Two or three chats every day with a friend
More than any of the above
34
When talking with friends‚ what proportion of your time do you spend talking about the following:
(Please put: 1 in the box next to the topic that you talk most about‚
2 in the box next to the topic you talk next most about‚ etc‚ through to
7 in the box next to the topic you talk least about.
Use each number only once i.e. there should be no ties.)
 
Politics and current affairs
 
Hobbies and interests (eg. sport‚ TV‚ music‚ cinema‚ fashion‚ holidays‚ gardening‚ DIY etc.)
 
Personal matters (e.g. life choice decisions‚ arguments‚ feelings)
 
Work
 
Family and friends
 
The weather
 
What you’ve been doing since last time you spoke
 
35
 
At social occasions‚ when you meet someone for the first time‚ how likely are you to talk about the following.
(Please put: 1 in the box next to the topic that you talk most about‚
2 in the box next to the topic you talk next most about‚ etc‚ through to
7 in the box next to the topic you talk least about.
Use each number only once i.e. there should be no ties.)
 
 
Politics and current affairs
 
 
Hobbies and interests (e.g. sport‚ TV‚ music‚ cinema‚ fashion‚ holidays‚ gardening‚ DIY etc.)
 
 
Personal matters (e.g. life choice decisions‚ arguments‚ feelings)
 
 
Work
 
 
Family and friends
 
 
The weather
 
 
What you’ve been doing recently
 
 
 

S. Baron-Cohen and S. Wheelwright‚ (2003). The Friendship Questionnaire (FQ): An investigation of adults with Asperger Syndrome or High Functioning Autism‚ and normal sex differences. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 33:509-517

x