Sensitivity to reward and sensitivity to punishment rating scales: A validation study on the Romanian population

The “BIS/BAS” Scales (Carver & White, 1994) and the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ; Torrubia, Avila, Molto, & Caseras, 2001) are two self-report instruments used for the assessment of Gray’s concepts of impulsivity and anxiety. In this paper, we examined both instruments in terms of their factorial structure and their construct validity using data from 345 Romanian undergraduate students. The results supported the original factor structure of the BIS/BAS scales, but indicated that a three-factor solution is preferable to the original two-factor solution in the case of the SPSRQ. Both instruments demonstrated good construct validity, correlating with other constructs such as Eysenck’s extraversion, neuroticism and some facets from Strelau’s temperament survey in the expected direction.