Parental Care and Tenderness (PCAT) Questionnaire

The PCAT questionnaire is a measure of individual differences in the activation of the parental care motivational system. It is suitable for administration with both parents and non-parents. There are two formats available:

1. The original PCAT: A 25-item measure with five subscales (caring, liking, protection, tenderness-positive, and tenderness-negative).
2. The PCAT-pn: A 10-item short-form with two subscales (protection and nurturance).

These measures are presented below.

PCAT

Original 25-item version

Part A - Instructions

The first part of this questionnaire relates to your personality and personal preferences. Please rate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements:

1. When I see infants, I want to hold them.
2. When I hear a baby crying, my first thought is “shut up!” (R)
3. When I see a young child in someone’s arms, I feel warm inside.
4. I would feel compelled to punish anyone who tried to harm a child.
5. I think that kids are annoying. (R)
6. Babies melt my heart.
7. I would hurt anyone who was a threat to a child.
8. I can’t stand how children whine all the time. (R)
9. I would sooner go to bed hungry than let a child go without food.
10. A baby’s tiny fingers and toes are so adorable.
11. I don’t like to be around babies. (R)
12. I would show no mercy to someone who was a danger to a child.
13. Babies generally smell great.
14. If I could, I would hire a nanny to take care of my children. (R)
15. I would use any means necessary to protect a child, even if I had to hurt others.

Part B - Instructions

TENDERNESS describes a “warm, gentle feeling of sympathetic affection.” Below are various hypothetical scenarios that may or may not evoke this feeling. Please rate how much TENDERNESS you would feel in each situation. If you are unsure, go with your gut reaction.

16. A newborn baby curls its hand around your finger.
17. You hear a young child trip and fall, and begin to cry.
18. You hear a child crying loudly on an airplane.
19. You watch as a toddler takes their first step and tumbles gently back down.
20. You make a baby laugh over and over again by making silly faces.
21. You need to change a baby’s soiled diaper.
22. A child blows you kisses to say goodbye.       
23. You see that a baby is sick.
24. You see a child slip and fall onto the pavement.
25. You see a father tossing his giggling baby up into the air as a game.

Scoring

Reverse score (5=1, 4=2, 3=3, 2=4, 1=5) the five items denoted with an (R).
PCAT total = the mean of all items after reverse scoring.

Subscales:

1. Caring = mean of items 1, 3, 6, 10, 13.
   
2. Liking = mean of items 2R, 5R, 8R, 11R, 14R.
   
3. Protection = mean of items 4, 7, 9, 12, 15.
   
4. Tenderness-Positive = mean of items 16, 19, 20, 22, 25.
   
5. Tenderness-Negative = mean of items 17, 18, 21, 23, 24.

Citation

Buckels, E. E., Beall, A. T., Hofer, M. K., Lin, E. Y., Zhou, Z., & Schaller, M. (2015). Individual differences in activation of the parental care motivational system: Assessment, prediction, and implications. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 108(3), 497–514. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000023

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PCAT-pn

10-item short-form

Part A - Instructions

The first part of this questionnaire relates to your personality and personal preferences. Please rate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements:

1. When I see infants, I want to hold them.
2. I would feel compelled to punish anyone who tried to harm a child.
3. I would hurt anyone who was a threat to a child.
4. Babies melt my heart.
5. I would use any means necessary to protect a child, even if I had to hurt others.
6. I would show no mercy to someone who was a danger to a child.

Part B - Instructions

TENDERNESS describes a “warm, gentle feeling of sympathetic affection.” Below are various hypothetical scenarios that may or may not evoke this feeling. Please rate how much TENDERNESS you would feel in each situation. If you are unsure, go with your gut reaction.

7. You hear a young child trip and fall, and begin to cry.
8. You watch as a toddler takes their first step and tumbles gently back down.
9. You make a baby laugh over and over again by making silly faces.
10. You see that a baby is sick.

Scoring

PCAT-pn total = mean of all items.
Protection subscale = mean of items 2, 3, 5, 6.
Nurturance subscale = mean of items 1, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10.

Citation

Hofer, M. K., Buckels, E. E., White, C. J. M., Beall, A. T., & Schaller, M. (2018). Individual differences in activation of the parental care motivational system: An empirical distinction between protection and nurturance. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 9(8), 907–916. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550617728994

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