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Perth Emotional Reactivity Scale (PERS): Copy of questionnaire and scoring

instructions

Method · February 2017

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PERS Name: Date:

This questionnaire is designed to measure different aspects of how you typically react to
experiencing emotional events. Please score the following statements according to how
much they apply or do not apply to you on a typical day. Circle one answer for each question.

Neither like
Very unlike Somewhat Somewhat Very like
or unlike
me unlike me like me me
me

1. I tend to get happy very easily. 1 2 3 4 5

2. I tend to get upset very easily. 1 2 3 4 5

When I’m happy, the feeling stays

3. 1 2 3 4 5
with me for quite a while.
When I’m upset, it takes me quite a
4. 1 2 3 4 5
while to snap out of it.
I think I experience happiness more
5. 1 2 3 4 5
intensely than my friends.
If I’m upset, I feel it more intensely
6. 1 2 3 4 5
than everyone else.
My emotions go automatically from
7. 1 2 3 4 5
neutral to positive.
8. I tend to get disappointed very easily. 1 2 3 4 5

When I’m feeling positive, I can stay

9. 1 2 3 4 5
like that for a good part of the day.

It takes me longer than other people

10. 1 2 3 4 5
to get over an anger episode.
When I am joyful, I tend to feel it
11. 1 2 3 4 5
very deeply.
I experience the feeling of frustration
12. 1 2 3 4 5
very deeply.
I tend to get enthusiastic about
13. 1 2 3 4 5
things very quickly.

14. I tend to get frustrated very easily. 1 2 3 4 5

 Neither like
Very unlike Somewhat Somewhat Very like
or unlike
me unlike me like me me
me

I can remain enthusiastic for quite a

15. 1 2 3 4 5
while
It’s hard for me to recover from
16. 1 2 3 4 5
frustration
I experience positive mood very
17. 1 2 3 4 5
strongly
Normally, when I’m unhappy I feel it
18. 1 2 3 4 5
very strongly
I feel good about positive things in an
19. 1 2 3 4 5
instant
My emotions go from neutral to
20. 1 2 3 4 5
negative very quickly
I stay happy for a while if I receive
21. 1 2 3 4 5
pleasant news
Once in a negative mood, it’s hard to
22. 1 2 3 4 5
snap out of it
When I’m enthusiastic about
23. 1 2 3 4 5
something, I feel it very powerfully
When I’m angry I feel it very
24. 1 2 3 4 5
powerfully

25. I react to good news very quickly 1 2 3 4 5

I tend to get pessimistic about

26. 1 2 3 4 5
negative things very quickly
If someone pays me a compliment, it
27. 1 2 3 4 5
improves my mood for a long time
When annoyed about something, it
28. 1 2 3 4 5
ruins my entire day
I experience positive feelings more
29. 1 2 3 4 5
deeply than my relatives and friends

30. My negative feelings feel very intense 1 2 3 4 5

© Becerra, Preece, Campitelli, & Scott-Pillow (2017)

 Scoring the PERS

The Perth Emotional Reactivity Scale (PERS; Becerra & Campitelli, 2013; Becerra, Preece,
Campitelli, & Scott-Pillow, 2017) is a 30-item self-report measure of people’s trait levels of
emotional reactivity. The PERS assesses the emotional reactivity construct as it is defined by
Davidson (1998) and Becerra and Campitelli (2013); that is, it measures the typical ease of
activation, intensity, and duration of one’s emotional responses, and does so for positive (e.g.,
happiness) and negative (e.g., sadness) emotions separately.

Two composite scores and six subscale scores can be derived by summing a participant’s
responses (i.e., the number they select on the 5-point answer scale) for the relevant items. For
all composites and subscales, higher scores indicate higher levels of reactivity in that domain;
in other words, that emotions are more easily/quickly activated, more intense, and longer in
their duration. The table below describes these subscale and composite scores and how to
calculate them.

Subscale /composite scores How to calculate Content measured

Negative-activation
Negative-intensity
Negative-duration
Positive-activation
Positive-intensity
Positive-duration
General negative reactivity
General positive reactivity
Subscale scores
Sum items 2, 8, 14, 20, 26. The ease/speed of activation of one’s negative emotions.
Sum items 6, 12, 18, 24, 30. The intensity of one’s negative emotions.
Sum items 4, 10, 16, 22, 28. The duration of one’s negative emotions.
Sum items 1, 7, 13, 19, 25. The ease/speed of activation of one’s positive emotions.
Sum items 5, 11, 17, 23, 29. The intensity of one’s positive emotions.
Sum items 3, 9, 15, 21, 27. The duration of one’s positive emotions.
Composite scores
Sum all even numbered Overall level of reactivity (ease of activation, intensity, and
items. duration) of one’s negative emotions.
Sum all odd numbered Overall level of reactivity (ease of activation, intensity, and
items. duration) of one’s positive emotions.

For more information about the psychometric properties and development of the PERS, see
Becerra et al. (2017) and Preece, Becerra and Campitelli (2018).

References
Becerra, R., & Campitelli, G. (2013). Emotional reactivity: Critical analysis and proposal of a
new scale. International Journal of Applied Psychology, 3, 161-168.
Becerra, R., Preece, D., Campitelli, G., & Scott-Pillow, G. (2017). The assessment of emotional
reactivity across negative and positive emotions: Development and validation of the
Perth Emotional Reactivity Scale (PERS). Assessment.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191117694455
Davidson, R. J. (1998). Affective style and affective disorders: Perspectives from affective
neuroscience. Cognition & Emotion, 12, 307-330
Preece, D., Becerra, R., & Campitelli, G. (2018). Assessing emotional reactivity:
Psychometric properties of the Perth Emotional Reactivity Scale (PERS) and the
development of a short form (PERS-S). Journal of Personality Assessment.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2018.1465430

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