Cognitive Failures Questionnaire [CFQ-25]

Description

The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ-25) is a psychometric instrument designed to measure the frequency of everyday cognitive failures or errors. These cognitive failures refer to minor mistakes that occur during daily activities and may include lapses of attention, forgetfulness, and memory-related errors.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the CFQ-25 is to assess how frequently individuals experience minor cognitive mistakes in everyday life, providing an indication of difficulties related to attention, memory, and general cognitive functioning.

Structure and Scoring

The CFQ consists of 25 items, which are rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 0 to 4, where:

• 0 = Never
• 4 = Always

The items cover several aspects of cognitive failures, including forgetting important information, inattentiveness, and errors related to memory and performance.

Higher scores indicate a greater frequency of everyday cognitive failures.

Data Analysis and Use

CFQ-25 scores may be used to examine the extent to which individuals experience everyday problems in cognitive functioning. The total score can support comparisons between individuals or groups and can be analyzed in relation to other psychological or functional variables.

The questionnaire is particularly relevant in psychological, cognitive, and occupational research, where it can provide a structured measure of self-reported lapses in attention and memory.

Applications

The CFQ-25 may be used in studies investigating the relationship between everyday cognitive failures and factors such as stress, cognitive workload, occupational functioning, and broader psychological well-being.

Its brief format and straightforward scoring procedure make it suitable for use in a wide range of research settings and populations.

References

Broadbent, D. E., Cooper, P. F., FitzGerald, P., & Parkes, K. R. (1982). The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) and its correlates. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 21(1), 1–16.

Larson, G. E., Alderton, D. L., Neideffer, M., & Underhill, E. (1997). Further evidence on dimensionality and correlates of the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire. British Journal of Psychology, 88(1), 29–38.

Wallace, J. C., Kass, S. J., & Stanny, C. J. (2002). The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire revisited: Dimensions and correlates. The Journal of General Psychology, 129(3), 238–256.

Bridger, R. S., Johnsen, S. A., & Brasher, K. (2013). Psychometric properties of the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire. Ergonomics, 56(10), 1515–1524.

Mahoney, A. M., & Dalby, J. T. (1992). Cognitive failures and stress. Psychological Reports, 71(3_suppl), 1002.