Reliability and validity of a Japanese version of the Sensory Gating Inventory (SGI)

The purpose of this study was to develop a Japanese version of the Sensory Gating Inventory (SGI; Hetrick, Erickson, & Smith, 2012) and to examine its reliability and validity. SGI measures abnormalities in the quality of sensory input, heightened awareness of background noises, and poor selective attention at the phenomenological level. The questionnaire was completed by 515 university and graduate students. The questionnaire package included 3 scales; 35 items from the Japanese version of SGI, 27 items from the Japanese version of the Highly Sensitive Person Scale (HSPS; Funahashi, 2011), and 25 items from the Japanese version of the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ; Yamada, 1991). Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the Japanese SGI had an acceptable level of internal consistency. Cronbach’s alpha was calculated to examine reliability and showed high values. Correlation analyses showed that the Japanese SGI and Japanese HSPS or CFQ were moderately positively correlated. This study suggests that the Japanese SGI is reliable and valid. It can be used to screen for abnormal sensory gating before physiological or behavioral inspection.