Do You Prefer Consistency Between Your Attitudes

and Your Behavior?

Instructions: The extent to which people have a preference for consistency is measured by
items on the
Preference for Consistency Scale (PCS) developed by Robert Cialdini and his colleagues. To
take the
PCS, read each item and then use the following scale to indicate how well each statement
describes you:

1 - strongly disagree
2 - disagree
3 - somewhat disagree
4 - slightly disagree
5 - neither agree nor disagree 6 � slightly agree
7 - somewhat agree
8 - agree
9 - strongly agree

___6_____ 1. It is important to me that those who know me can predict what I will do.
_____3___ 2. I want to be described by others as a stable, predictable person.
____8____ 3. The appearance of consistency is an important part of the image I present to the
world.
____8____ 4. An important requirement for any friend of mine is personal consistency.
____6____ 5. I typically prefer to do things the same way.
___6_____ 6. I want my close friends to be predictable.
____9____ 7. It is important to me that others view me as a stable person.
____8____ 8. I make an effort to appear consistent to others.
____3____ 9. It doesn’t bother me much if my actions are inconsistent.

My Score: 61

Scoring Instructions: The last PCS item (number 9) is reverse-scored; that is, for this item a
lower rating
actually indicates a higher level of consistency preference. Before summing the items, recode
item9sothat1��9,2��8,3��7,4��6,6��4,7��3,8��2,9��1.Tocalculateyourpreferen
cefor consistency score, add
up your responses to the nine items.
The average score for teenagers and young adults is about 48. The higher your score is above
this value,
the greater your preference for consistency. The lower your score is below this value, the less of
this
preference you probably possess.
Source: From “Preference for Consistency: The development of a valid measure and the
discovery of surprising behavioral
implications” by R. Cialdini, M. Trost, and J. Newsom in Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 1995, 69, 318–328
(Appendix, p. 328). Copyright © 1995 by the American Psychological Association. Adapted with
permission.