Intentions Towards Infidelity Scale

Abstract

The Intentions Towards Infidelity Scale (ITIS) is a brief, self-report instrument developed to predict the likelihood of an individual engaging in unfaithful behavior within a committed romantic relationship. Recognizing that infidelity is a major cause of relationship dissolution, the scale’s creators focused on measuring specific behavioral intentions rather than general attitudes or broad personality dispositions, which often fail to translate directly into specific actions (Ajzen & Fishbein, 2005). The ITIS consists of seven items that assess the likelihood of engaging in infidelity behaviors, such as lying to a partner or hiding the relationship from an attractive third party.

Preliminary validation studies confirm the scale’s effectiveness. It exhibits good internal consistency, with a Cronbach’s alpha ranging from .70 to .81, and demonstrates strong Convergent Validity by correlating significantly with self-reported past infidelity and established psychological constructs related to relationship instability. Furthermore, longitudinal data confirms its criterion validity, showing the ITIS significantly predicts relationship satisfaction and relationship dissolution up to six months after administration.

Keywords

Infidelity, Relationship dissolution, Behavioral intentions, Relationship satisfaction, Romantic partners, Personality, Cronbach’s alpha, Sexual behavior, Mating effort.

Authors

Daniel Nelson Jones (University of British Columbia), Sally Gayle Olderbak (University of Arizona), Aurelio José Figueredo (University of Arizona).

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Intentions Towards Infidelity Scale (ITIS) is to serve as a targeted predictor of future infidelity within committed romantic partnerships. Given that infidelity is documented as a leading factor in relationship dissolution (Daly, Wilson, & Weghorst, 1982), the ability to predict unfaithful behavior is crucial for assessing relationship stability and longevity.

The scale was developed as a brief alternative to lengthy personality measures that assess global dispositions toward negative interpersonal behavior. By specifically targeting behavioral intentions—the immediate precursors to action—the ITIS provides a focused and efficient method for assessing an individual’s specific likelihood of engaging in infidelity behaviors, such as intentions to hide the relationship or to actively be unfaithful.

Construct

The ITIS measures the psychological construct of Intentions Towards Infidelity. This construct reflects the self-reported subjective probability that an individual will perform various behaviors associated with cheating or preparing for unfaithfulness in the future. The design of the scale is underpinned by the principle that behavioral intentions are superior predictors of specific behaviors than general attitudes, as established in psychological frameworks like the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen & Fishbein, 2005).

The seven items comprehensively capture different aspects of the intent to cheat, ranging from intentions regarding secrecy and perceived immunity from consequences, to intentions concerning unfaithfulness toward current and future partners. The scale thus provides a direct measure of the psychological commitment to fidelity.

Validity

The ITIS demonstrates good validity across preliminary samples, primarily college-aged populations, although the developers assert its appropriateness for anyone in a committed romantic relationship.

Convergent and Discriminant Validity: The scale exhibits strong convergent validity, showing substantial overall correlations (averaging up to .60) with self-reports of past and current frequency of infidelity behavior (Jones, 2009). The ITIS correlates moderately and positively with overall insecure attachment, specifically with avoidant attachment, but shows no correlation with anxious attachment. Furthermore, it correlates positively and moderately with unrestricted sociosexual attitudes and sexual behavior, and strongly with mating effort. Conversely, the scale correlates moderately and negatively with long-term mating orientation and relationship satisfaction.

Regarding individual differences, the ITIS shows small to moderate positive correlations with the Big Five personality traits of conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness to experience. It also correlates positively with impulsive sensation seeking (ISS) and aggression/hostility (AH), personality traits identified in the Alternative Five personality scale (Zuckerman et al., 1993). A key finding is that the ITIS fully mediates the relationship between all aforementioned variables and the overall number of infidelities a person has committed, highlighting its central role in predicting unfaithful actions.

Criterion Validity: Prediction of Relationship Outcomes Over Time: A longitudinal study (Olderbak, 2008) confirmed the criterion validity of the ITIS. The scale significantly predicted relationship satisfaction, correlating negatively with scores up to six months after initial administration. Crucially, mean ITIS scores were significantly higher for participants who subsequently reported either having committed acts of infidelity or experiencing relationship dissolution during the 12-month follow-up period. This establishes the ITIS as a significant longitudinal predictor of both relationship satisfaction and relationship breakdown.

Reliability

The internal reliability of the Intentions Towards Infidelity Scale is consistently reported as good across multiple studies (Jones, 2009; Olderbak, 2008; Olderbak & Figueredo, 2009). Measured using Cronbach’s alpha, the internal consistency ranges from .70 to .81, indicating that the seven items reliably measure the intended single construct. Currently, specific test-retest reliability data for the scale is unavailable in the published validation materials.

Factor Analysis

The Intentions Towards Infidelity Scale (ITIS) is designed as a unidimensional measure. Factor analysis confirmed that all seven items consistently load onto one common factor. This structure supports the scoring methodology where all items are averaged to produce a single, unified score representing the individual’s overall intention towards infidelity.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-Report Questionnaire

Format: 7-item Likert-type scale, using a 7-point response range from −3 (Not at all Likely) to +3 (Extremely Likely).

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: Individuals currently involved in committed romantic relationships.

Age Group: Primarily validated on college-aged adults.

Population Details: Preliminary validity data was collected using college-aged samples, although the scale is argued to be universally applicable to adults in committed relationships.

Test Methodology: The ITIS is highly efficient, typically requiring less than one minute to complete. Scoring involves reverse scoring the third item, followed by calculating the average of all seven items to obtain a final composite score.

Keywords

ITIS, Intentions Towards Infidelity, Relationship dissolution, Convergent Validity, Criterion Validity, Avoidant attachment, Sociosexuality, Mating effort, Big Five personality traits.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected]

Correspondence Address: Daniel N. Jones, 2136 West Mall, Department of Psychology, UBC, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z4.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: Specific licensing or usage permissions are not detailed in the source content.

Fee: Not specified.

Test Year: The scale was developed and validated around 2008–2009, based on the referenced manuscripts and theses (Olderbak, 2008; Jones, 2009).

Reference’s

• Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (2005). The influence of attitudes on behavior. In D. Albarracín, B. T. Johnson, & M. P. Zanna (Eds.), Handbook of attitudes and attitude change (pp. 173–221). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

• Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

• Daly, M., Wilson, M., & Weghorst, S. J. (1982). Male sexual jealousy. Ethology and Sociobiology, 3, 11–27.

• Hall, J. H., & Fincham, F. D. (2005). Relationship dissolution following infidelity. In M. Fine & J. Harvey (Eds.), The handbook of divorce and romantic relationship dissolution (pp. 153–168). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

• Jones, D. N. (2009). The personality of a cheater. Manuscript in preparation.

• Olderbak, S. G. (2008). Predicting relationship satisfaction in heterosexual couples longitudinally. Unpublished master’s thesis, Department of Psychology, University of Arizona.

• Olderbak, S. G., & Figueredo, A. J. (2009). Predicting romantic relationship satisfaction from life history strategy. Personality and Individual Differences, 46, 604–610.

• Zuckerman, M., Kulhman, M. D., Joireman, J., Teta, P., & Kraft, M. (1993). A comparison of three structural models for personality: The Big Three, the Big Five, and the Alternative Five. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 757–768.

Items of the Intentions Towards Infidelity Scale

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Please indicate how likely or unlikely you would be to do the following things. Use the scale below to answer the following questions.

1. How likely are you to be unfaithful to a partner if you knew you wouldn’t get caught?

2. How likely would you be to lie to a partner about being unfaithful to them?

3. How likely would you be to tell a partner if you were unfaithful to them? [R]

4. How likely do you think you would be to get away with being unfaithful to a partner?

5. How likely would you be to hide your relationship from an attractive person you just met?

6. How likely do you think you are to be unfaithful to future partners?

7. How likely do you think you are to be unfaithful to your present or future husband or wife?