Development of a Scale for Measuring Cognitive Biases Related to Risk-Taking Among Firefighters: The Five Cognitive Bias Risk Scale (5 CBR-S)

This study aimed to develop the Five Cognitive Biases in Risk-Taking Scale (5 CBR-S) to measure five cognitive biases associated with risk-taking: overconfidence, illusion of control, belief in the law of small numbers, escalation of commitment, and optimism. Firefighters completed a series of five questionnaires: cognitive biases related to risk-taking, emotional intelligence, self-regulation behaviors, personality traits, and mental toughness. Data were collected from two distinct samples, each consisting of 202 firefighters. A series of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses conducted on an initial version of the 5 CBR-S with 50 items provided structural evidence supporting a 5-factor, 19-item solution. Evidence of validity and reliability for the 5 CBR-S scores was provided by examining correlations with emotional intelligence, personality traits, and mental toughness. Overall, despite certain limitations, the 5 CBR-S constitutes a robust measure, offering the advantage of highlighting the five main cognitive biases related to risk-taking. It can be used both among firefighters and in other professional contexts involving high-intensity emergency decision-making.