The contruction and evaluation of an attention questionnaire

Abstract

The principal objective of the study was the construction and evaluation of an attention questionnaire. A corollary of the study was to determine the common factors between the Attention Questionnaire (AQ) and the Locus of Control Inventory (LCI). The AQ and the LCI (1999) were applied jointly to a sample of 1577 first-year university students. To start with the AQ was subjected to a principal factor analysis. It yielded three factors which were identified as Concentration Ability, Arousal and Distractibility. Three scales were formed which yielded reliabilities of 0,886, 0,757 and 0,863 respectively. Multiple battery factor analysis was used to establish the common factor structure of the two instruments. Autonomy and Internal Control were strongly related to Concentration Ability.