Need for Closure Scale
The Need for Cognitive Closure Scale, developed by Webster and Kruglanski (1994), measures a stable individual difference in the desire for a firm, definite answer to a question and an aversion to ambiguity and uncertainty. High need for closure is a key epistemic-motivation construct in political psychology, linked to conservatism, prejudice, intolerance of dissent, and resistance to belief change.
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Sources
- Webster, D. M., & Kruglanski, A. W. (1994). Individual differences in need for cognitive closure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67(6), 1049-1062. DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.67.6.1049 ↗
- Roets, A., & Van Hiel, A. (2011). Item selection and validation of a brief, 15-item version of the Need for Closure Scale. Personality and Individual Differences, 50(1), 90-94. DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2010.09.004 ↗
How to cite this page
ScholarGate. (2026, June 22). Need for Cognitive Closure Scale (NFCS). ScholarGate. https://scholargate.app/en/political-psychology/need-for-closure-scale
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