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

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

Abstract

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.