Intuitive Decision Style Scale

When making big decisions, are you more likely to trust your head or your gut? Here's a scientific way to know.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D. | December 20, 2023

The Intuitive Decision Style Scale, developed by Katherine Hamilton, Shin-I Shih, and Susan Mohammed of Pennsylvania State University, is a self-assessment tool designed to illuminate and measure the degree to which individuals rely on their intuition when navigating the decision-making process.

The scale consists of a set of statements, each prompting respondents to indicate the extent to which it resonates with their decision-making approach on a scale from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree).

By capturing key aspects of intuitive decision-making, such as trusting gut feelings, following initial hunches, and prioritizing intuition over analysis, the scale provides a glimpse into an individual's inherent decision style. Whether one leans towards analytical scrutiny or intuitive leaps, this scale offers a valuable self-reflection tool for those seeking insight into their decision-making tendencies.

You can take this test here. Follow all of the steps to receive your results.

Step 1: Indicate how much each statement describes you on a scale of 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree).

1. When making decisions, I rely mainly on my gut feelings.

2. My initial hunch about decisions is generally what I follow.

3. I make decisions based on intuition.

4. I rely on my first impressions when making decisions.

5. I weigh feelings more than analysis in making decisions.

Step 2: Enter your age, gender, region, and first name so we can provide you with a detailed report that compares your test scores to people similar to you.

What is your age?

What is your gender?

What region of the world do you live in?

What is your first name?

Step 3: Check to make sure you've provided answers to all of the statements/questions above. Once you've done that, click the button below to send your responses to Awake Therapy's Lead Psychologist, Mark Travers, Ph.D. He will provide you with an overview of how you scored relative to others (all answers are anonymized and confidential to protect users' privacy). He can also answer any follow-up questions you may have.

References: Katherine Hamilton, Shin-I Shih & Susan Mohammed (2016) The Development and Validation of the Rational and Intuitive Decision Styles Scale, Journal of Personality Assessment, 98:5, 523-535