checklist comprised of 22 activation-related adjectives, and 28 ‘filler’ adjectives related to mood, but not to activation.
The current ‘Short Form’ AD-ACL ( Thayer, 1989 ) contains 20 activation adjectives only. Using a 4-point response
scale, respondents are instructed to ‘ describe your feelings at this moment’ . These ratings assess immediate feelings of
activation and deactivation. As indicated on Thayer’s website (see below), ‘subscale adjectives are as follows:
Energy (active, energetic, vigorous, lively, full-of-pep); Tired (sleepy, tired, drowsy, wide-awake, wakeful); Tension
(jittery, intense, fearful, clutched-up, tense); Calmness (placid, calm, at-rest, still, quiet). Scoring for ‘wakeful’ and
‘wide-awake’ must be reversed for the Tiredness subscale. Tiredness and Calmness scores must be reversed
(but not wakeful and wide-awake in this case) before summing the ten scores.’ The AD-ACL can also be scored for
bipolar dimensions of Energetic Arousal (Energy vs. Tiredness) and Tense Arousal (Tension vs. Calmness).
Sample
The sample used for the initial factor analysis of the AD-ACL (Thayer, 1967) was comprised of 211 male and
female students at the University of Rochester.
Reliability
Internal Consistency
Thayer (1978) estimated Internal Consistency in a student sample ( N5486) by finding the average single-item
communality for each of the four activation dimensions represented in a factor analysis, and then applying the
Spearman-Brown prophecy formula to estimate consistency within the full scale. He reported coefficients as fol-
lows: Energy 5.92; Tension 5.89; Calmness 5.89; Tiredness 5.90. Bartholomew and Miller (2002) reported
Cronbach alpha coefficients ranging from .96 to .97 for Energy, 72 to .85 for Tension, .79 to .86 for Calmness, and
.88 to .91 for Tiredness, respectively.
Test/C0Retest
The immediate test /C0retest (dependability) coefficients reported by Thayer for a sample of students who
completed the Short Form AD-CL were as follows: Energy (.89); Tension (.93); Calmness (.79); Tiredness (.89)
(cf.Thayer, 1989 ).Clements, Hafer, and Vermillion (1976) reported a non-significant one-week test /C0retest
Correlation (.07) for an activation dimension derived through factor analysis of the AD-ACL.
Validity
Convergent/Concurrent
Validation studies ( Thayer, 1989, 1996 ) have used a variety of additional samples. However, there is little evi-
dence available on how the AD-ACL correlates with other adjectival measures of mood, and there is often over-
lap in the adjectives used in different checklist measures. A methodological issue cited by Thayer (1978) is that
associations between activation dimensions may vary with level of activation; for example, energy and tension
may be negatively correlated at high activation levels. Furthermore, there appear to be individual differences in
the intercorrelations of the different AD-ACL dimensions ( Rafaeli, Rogers, & Revelle 2007 ).
Divergent/Discriminant
The AD-ACL has been more commonly used in experimental studies of arousing agents than in individual dif-
ferences research, and so there is rather little divergent evidence available. One issue is the distinctiveness of AD-
ACL scores from personality, given that even matched state and trait measures should be only moderately corre-
lated (Zuckerman, 1992). Thayer et al. (1987) reported associations between the AD-ACL scales and the extraver-
sion, neuroticism and morningness /C0eveningness traits.
Construct/Factor Analytic
Factor analyses, applying oblique rotation, were conducted by Thayer (1978) in two university student samples
(N5486; N5515). Two bipolar activation factors were extracted labeled: Energetic Arousal (General Activation
vs. Deactivation /C0Sleep) and Tense Arousal (High Activation and General Deactivation). Thayer (1989) conceptu-
alized Energetic Arousal and Tense Arousal as biocognitive systems associated with, respectively, vigorous motor
activity and preparedness for threat. The AD-ACL is one of the most widely used measures of subjective arousal
in studies of exercise; consistent with Thayer’s (1989) theory, moderate exercise tends to elevate Energetic Arousal
(Reed & Ones, 2006 ). The AD-ACL has also been used in studies of pharmacological arousing agents, circadian
rhythms, nutrition, sleep loss and other stress factors ( Maridakis, O’Connor, & Tomporowski 2009; Oginska et al.,
2010), and also in studies that demonstrate the role of activation in human performance ( Dickman, 2002 ).212 8. MEASURES OF AFFECT DIMENSIONS
II. EMOTIONAL DISPOSITIONS