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Validation of the Rational-Experiential Inventory (REI-40) in Brazilian Portuguese.
Julio Cesar de Aguiar1, Benjamin Miranda Tabak1
1School of Public Policy, Government and Business, Getulio Vargas Foundation, FGV EPPG, Brasília 70830-051, DF, Brazil.
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 26, 2026
Summary
The Rational-Experiential Inventory (REI-40) was validated for Brazilian Portuguese speakers, confirming its reliability for assessing rational and experiential thinking styles in professional settings.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
- Psychometrics
Background:
- The Rational-Experiential Inventory (REI-40) measures thinking styles based on Cognitive-Experiential Self-Theory (CEST).
- Previous validation studies for the REI-40 in Brazilian Portuguese populations were lacking.
- This study aimed to fill this gap by validating the REI-40 for a Brazilian context.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Rational-Experiential Inventory (REI-40).
- To assess the psychometric properties of the REI-40 in a sample of Brazilian legal professionals.
- To establish the reliability and validity of the instrument for measuring rational and experiential thinking styles.
Main Methods:
- Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) using WLSMV estimator for ordinal data.
- Comparison of competing structural models (four-factor vs. alternatives).
- Internal consistency (McDonald's omega) and validity testing, including measurement invariance across demographic groups (sex, education, age).
Main Results:
- The hypothesized four-factor, 40-item REI-40 model demonstrated acceptable fit and outperformed alternative models.
- Good internal consistency was found for all subscales (ω = 0.79-0.87).
- Measurement invariance was supported across sex, education, and age at configural and metric levels, with validity evidence supporting convergent and discriminant properties.
Conclusions:
- The Brazilian Portuguese REI-40 is a psychometrically sound instrument.
- It is suitable for measuring rational and experiential thinking styles in professional populations in Brazil.
- The validation supports its use in research and practice within the Brazilian context.
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