Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire

What it measures

A Yes/No questionnaire measuring Gray's two neurobiological systems: Sensitivity to Punishment (related to the BIS) reflects anxiety and behavioural inhibition in response to threat; Sensitivity to Reward (related to the BAS) reflects approach motivation and reward-seeking. An alternative to the Carver & White BIS/BAS scales.

Response format

Yes/No (1 or 0 per item); SP total 0–24, SR total 0–24

Representative items

• Are you often afraid of new or unexpected situations? (SP)
• Do you worry about making mistakes? (SP)
• When you see an opportunity for something you like, do you get excited right away? (SR)
• Do you often do things for excitement? (SR)
• Do you prefer to stay on the safe side in everything? (SP)

Usage notes & scoring

Freely available from Rafael Torrubia. Higher SP = greater anxiety/behavioural inhibition; higher SR = greater reward motivation/impulsivity. Complementary to the Carver & White BIS/BAS scales. Widely used in research on anxiety disorders, substance use, and personality neuroscience.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Torrubia, R., Ávila, C., Moltó, J., & Caseras, X. (2001). The Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ) as a measure of Gray's anxiety and impulsivity dimensions. Personality and Individual Differences, 31(6), 837–862.

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