Scaling New Heights: A Psychometric Analysis of Interpretation Bias Measures for Acrophobia

Cognitive biases play a critical role in the maintenance of specific phobias, yet reliable assessment tools remain scarce. This study examined the psychometric properties of three novel measures designed to evaluate interpretational processing biases in acrophobia: the Scrambled Sentences Task (SST), the Encoding Recognition Test (ERT), and the German version of the Heights Interpretation Questionnaire (HIQ). Using an online cross-sectional design, the convergent and divergent validity as well as the reliability of these tasks were assessed. The sample included N = 286 participants with mild to severe acrophobia. Overall, all measures demonstrated good convergent validity, and their weak associations with non-acrophobia-related questionnaires support divergent validity. The measures also showed high internal consistency and moderate to high parallel forms of reliability, indicating strong reliability overall. Consistent intercorrelations among the tasks further support their coherence in assessing interpretation bias. Finally, regression analyses revealed that the SST and HIQ were the strongest predictors of acrophobic symptoms, suggesting that each task may tap into distinct facets of interpretation bias despite their overlap. These findings offer empirically grounded insights that can inform future research, especially within intervention contexts. For example, embedding these bias measures in randomized controlled trials could illuminate their role in identifying and precisely tracking cognitive markers during therapy, enabling more targeted interventions in acrophobia treatment.