Psychometric properties of the French versions of the BIS/BAS scales and the SPSRQ

One of the most recurrent criticisms formulated against Gray’s Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory is the lack of a sound structural model of the postulated dimensions, i.e. ‘Anxiety’ and ‘Impulsivity’ reflecting the behavioural inhibition and approach systems, respectively. Although valuable efforts have been made and several instruments been published in the past fifteen years, most of the publications conclude that refinements are needed. This is the first paper that presents the psychometric properties of the French version of Carver and White’s BIS/BAS scales and Torrubia et al.’s SPSRQ in a sample of students. The reliabilities and the pattern of scores intercorrelations are in line with the literature. For both instruments, exploratory factor analyses reveal a two-order structure with higher-order factors representing BIS-SP and BAS-SR. The structure of the primary factors is discussed with regards to studies in non-French speaking samples. These findings add to the cross-cultural data for the BIS/BAS scales and the SPSRQ, which is an underestimated aspect of scales’ development.