AI Over-Reliance / Dependence
Information SystemsReliability: alpha 0.854 sample items
About this scale
A multi-item measure of the extent to which a user accepts AI outputs without sufficient verification, reflecting unhealthy dependence on AI for cognitive tasks. Captures the dark side of AI assistance — atrophy of independent judgement and reduced critical thinking.
Sample item(s)
“I accept AI suggestions without checking them.”
“I find it hard to make decisions at work without consulting AI.”
“I rely on AI even when I could solve the task myself.”
“I rarely question the outputs of AI tools.”
Reliability
Reported internal consistency: alpha 0.85. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.
Notes
Pair with critical-thinking and metacognitive scales to test the cognitive-offloading hypothesis.
Source & citation
Passi, S., & Vorvoreanu, M. (2022): Overreliance on AI: Literature review. Microsoft Research Report MSR-TR-2022-12.
Passi & Vorvoreanu (2022): Overreliance on AI — literature review. Microsoft Research.
Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.
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