The Brief Aggression Questionnaire: Structure, Validity, Reliability, and Generalizability

Gregory D. Webster, C. Nathan DeWall, Richard S. Pond, Timothy Deckman, Peter K. Jonason, Bonnie M. Le, Austin Lee Nichols, Tatiana Orozco Schember, Laura C. Crysel, Benjamin S. Crosier, C. Veronica Smith, E. Layne Paddock, John B. Nezlek, Lee A. Kirkpatrick, Angela D. Bryan, Renée J. Bator

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract (may include machine translation)

In contexts that increasingly demand brief self-report measures (e.g., experience sampling, longitudinal and field studies), researchers seek succinct surveys that maintain reliability and validity. One such measure is the 12-item Brief Aggression Questionnaire (BAQ; Webster et al., 2014), which uses 4 3-item subscales: Physical Aggression, Verbal Aggression, Anger, and Hostility. Although prior work suggests the BAQ's scores are reliable and valid, we addressed some lingering concerns. Across 3 studies (N = 1,279), we found that the BAQ had a 4-factor structure, possessed long-term test-retest reliability across 12 weeks, predicted differences in behavioral aggression over time in a laboratory experiment, generalized to a diverse nonstudent sample, and showed convergent validity with a displaced aggression measure. In addition, the BAQ's 3-item Anger subscale showed convergent validity with a trait anger measure. We discuss the BAQ's potential reliability, validity, limitations, and uses as an efficient measure of aggressive traits.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)638-649
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of Personality Assessment
Volume97
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 2 Nov 2015
Externally publishedYes

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