A thoughtful appraisal of measuring cognition using the role category questionnaire

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Abstract
One assumption of the Role Category Questionnaire (RCQ) as a measure of cognitive complexity is that the sample of constructs it elicits represents a stable feature of individual difference. Two experiments investigating the RCQ's stability were conducted. Results for Study 1 demonstrated that changing RCQ instructions elicits a significantly greater amount of constructs compared to previous studies. Study 2 also showed varying instructions for construct, production increased mean number of constructs generated and changed the rank‐ordered relationships of complexity scores. Results suggest the RCQ's method of sampling the cognitive system yields unstable and sample‐bound scores. Possible refinements in assessing cognitive complexity are discussed.