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Signaling Systems Ratio Questionnaire3

Signaling Systems Ratio Questionnaire Test

With 57 questions and an estimated completion time of 11 minutes, the Signaling Systems Ratio Questionnaire Test explores how you process information through imagery, logic, emotionality, activity, and self-regulation. Your result highlights characteristic tendencies in perception, memory, and responses, supporting focused self-reflection.

Questions: 5711 minutes

Signaling Systems Ratio Questionnaire: test ticket with numbers

October 2, 2025October 2, 2025Material has been updatedOctober 2, 2025Material has been published

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1,908 completions

1,665 likes

Daniel Hall Psychologist · Test reviewer

1,665 likes

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

Analytical ThinkingAT

Measures the tendency to analyze actions, their sequence, and the deliberateness of decisions, where lower scores reflect stronger analytical thinking.

example score14/40

14/40Strong analytical thinkingexample score

8 – 18Strong analytical thinking

19 – 29Moderate analytical thinking

30 – 40Lower analytical thinking

A score of 14 falls in the Strong analytical thinking range, suggesting a pronounced tendency to think through steps and decisions carefully.

WillpowerW

Assesses readiness for voluntary effort, persistence, and determination in goal-directed behavior.

example score21/50

21/50Stronger willpowerexample score

10 – 23Stronger willpower

24 – 36Moderate willpower

37 – 50Lower willpower

A score of 21 falls in the Stronger willpower range, suggesting relatively well-developed volitional qualities and perseverance.

Self-RegulationSR

Measures the ability to reflect on one’s actions and anticipate events, where lower scores indicate stronger self-regulation.

example score31/50

31/50Moderate self-regulationexample score

10 – 23High self-regulation

24 – 36Moderate self-regulation

37 – 50Low self-regulation

A score of 31 falls in the Moderate self-regulation range, suggesting an average tendency to reflect on actions and foresee outcomes.

ImaginationI

Measures the tendency toward dreaminess and impressionability, with lower scores reflecting stronger imaginative capacity.

example score16/30

16/30Balancedexample score

6 – 13More imaginative

14 – 22Balanced

23 – 30Less imaginative

A score of 16 falls in the Balanced range, suggesting a moderate tendency toward dreaminess and impressionability.

Imagery-Based MemoryIBM

Assesses whether memory relies more on stable mental images versus more symbol- and logic-based encoding within the signaling systems framework.

example score21/30

21/30Balancedexample score

6 – 14More figurative (image-based)

15 – 22Balanced

23 – 30More symbolic/logical

A score of 21 falls in the Balanced range, suggesting a fairly even use of imagery and symbolic/logical strategies in memory.

EmotionalityE

Emotionality reflects how vividly a person emotionally perceives events, their sensitivity, and potential mood variability (lower scores indicate greater emotional development).

example score21/45

21/45More emotionally developedexample score

9 – 21More emotionally developed

22 – 33Balanced emotionality

34 – 45More restrained emotionality

A score of 21 falls in the “More emotionally developed” range, suggesting vivid emotional responsiveness and sensitivity compared with higher scores on this scale.

ActivityA

Measures overall behavioral activity, tendency toward above-norm actions, and degree of social contact, with lower scores indicating higher activity.

example score32/40

32/40Lower activityexample score

8 – 18High activity

19 – 29Moderate activity

30 – 40Lower activity

A score of 32 falls in the Lower activity range, suggesting comparatively less behavioral activation and social engagement than is typical on this scale.

Second Signaling SystemSSS

Assesses the relative development of the second signaling system, reflecting abstract, verbal-logical processing (with lower scores indicating stronger development).

example score98/145

98/145Less developedexample score

0 – 48More developed

49 – 97Mixed/average

98 – 145Less developed

A score of 98 falls in the “Less developed” range, suggesting comparatively lower reliance on abstract, verbal-logical signaling and a greater tilt toward concrete, image-based processing relative to this scale.

First Signaling SystemFSS

Measures how strongly a person tends to rely on concrete, sensory impressions (first signaling system) rather than abstract symbols.

example score72/145

72/145Balancedexample score

0 – 48More primary-signal oriented

49 – 97Balanced

98 – 145Less primary-signal oriented

A score of 72 falls in the Balanced range, suggesting a relatively even use of concrete sensory impressions and more symbolic, abstract processing.

Signaling Ratio (SR)SR

Assesses the balance between Pavlov’s first (sensory-imagery) and second (symbolic-abstract) signaling systems based on the signal coefficient.

example score2/66

2/66First-system dominantexample score

-66 – -1Second-system dominant

0Balanced

1 – 66First-system dominant

A score of 2 falls in the First-system dominant range, suggesting a slight preference for processing information through concrete sensory impressions over abstract symbols.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Students and adult learners

41%OF USERS

They take it to understand whether they learn better through vivid examples and sensory detail or through concepts, symbols, and theory.

Managers and team leads

34%OF USERS

They use it to adapt communication, task framing, and motivation to how each person processes information.

Psychologists and coaches

25%OF USERS

They include it in assessments to quickly identify a client’s dominant thinking style and choose suitable interventions.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Shaded area — where most people score

Dot — the average

You — your score lands on each curve after the test— your score, after the test

Analytical thinkingAt

You?

Average25.6

Typical rangeTypical20.6 – 30.7

Possible8 – 40

WillpowerW

You?

Average22.9

Typical rangeTypical16 – 29.8

Possible10 – 50

Self-regulationS

You?

Average34.7

Typical rangeTypical28.7 – 40.8

Possible10 – 50

ImaginationI

You?

Average17.3

Typical rangeTypical12.8 – 21.8

Possible6 – 30

Figurative MemoryFM

You?

Average17.1

Typical rangeTypical13.4 – 20.9

Possible6 – 30

EmotionalityE

You?

Average20.2

Typical rangeTypical13.8 – 26.6

Possible9 – 45

ActivityA

You?

Average23.7

Typical rangeTypical19.2 – 28.2

Possible8 – 40

Second-order SignalingSS

You?

Average80.1

Typical rangeTypical56.8 – 103.4

Possible0 – 145

PrimalsignalnessP

You?

Average108.5

Typical rangeTypical82.4 – 134.7

Possible0 – 145

Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR)

You?

Average-21

Typical rangeTypical-45.5 – 3.5

Possible-66 – 66

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

- Definitely yes
- Probably yes
- Somewhere in between
- Probably no
- No
- Definitely yes
- Probably yes
- It depends
- Probably no
- No
- I cannot at all
- I can for a short time
- It varies
- For a long time
- Usually, for a long time

These are 3 of the 57 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

Signaling Systems Ratio Questionnaire Test - Description and methodology of the test

cognitive style

signal system

Readers curious about how they notice, remember, organize, and respond to information may find the Signaling Systems Ratio Questionnaire Test useful as a structured profile of characteristic tendencies. This information processing questionnaire compares imagery-based and logical habits with emotionality, activity, self-regulation, and persistence. The result supports focused reflection without reducing anyone to one fixed type.

What This Assessment Explores

The assessment suits people seeking a differentiated picture of information processing and related tendencies. Its statements sample daydreaming, sensitivity, imagery and verbal memory, planning, persistence, activity, and concrete or abstract preferences. Results show how these characteristics combine.

Viewed as a signaling systems questionnaire, the profile groups results into these dimensions:

Imagination (6-30) measures daydreaming/impressionability: More imaginative 6-13; Balanced 14-22; Less imaginative 23-30.
Self-Regulation (10-50) measures reflection/anticipation: High self-regulation 10-23; Moderate self-regulation 24-36; Low self-regulation 37-50.
Analytical Thinking (8-40) measures deliberate analysis: Strong analytical thinking 8-18; Moderate analytical thinking 19-29; Lower analytical thinking 30-40.
Willpower (10-50) measures persistence/decisiveness: Stronger willpower 10-23; Moderate willpower 24-36; Lower willpower 37-50.
Imagery-Based Memory (6-30) contrasts memory styles: More figurative (image-based) 6-14; Balanced 15-22; More symbolic/logical 23-30.
Emotionality (9-45) measures sensitivity/mood variability: More emotionally developed 9-21; Balanced emotionality 22-33; More restrained emotionality 34-45.
Activity (8-40) measures behavioral/social energy: High activity 8-18; Moderate activity 19-29; Lower activity 30-40.
Second Signaling System (0-145) measures abstract verbal logic: More developed 0-48; Mixed/average 49-97; Less developed 98-145.
First Signaling System (0-145) measures concrete sensory processing: More primary-signal oriented 0-48; Balanced 49-97; Less primary-signal oriented 98-145.
Signaling Ratio (SR) (-66-66) compares system balance: Second-system dominant -66--1; Balanced 0-0; First-system dominant 1-66.

Methodology and Scientific Basis

As a signaling systems test, the questionnaire uses self-report statements with five graded choices from clear agreement to clear disagreement; some wording addresses frequency or memory. Responses form the displayed dimensions, while the ratio compares first- and second-system results. The format does not establish each answer’s point contribution.

Conceptually, it refers to the Kadyrov Signaling Systems Ratio Questionnaire (1990). Pavlov distinguishes concrete sensory signals from language-mediated abstraction, a distinction examined by Windholz. Kadyrov and Kadyrov (2016) relate the two-system ratio to individual functional asymmetry. These sources provide conceptual context; they do not by themselves establish that this online version reproduces their samples, norms, or validation.

Interpret scores as tendencies: lower values generally indicate greater development or expression of the named quality, while the ratio’s direction shows the predominant system. The displayed bands are descriptive rather than clinical cutoffs; context and response style can influence self-report, so the profile is a reflection aid, not a diagnosis.

Author: Albert Mehrabian

Literature:

Kadyrov, B. R. (1990). Inclinations and Their Individual-Natural Prerequisites (Based on Adolescence) [Doctoral dissertation]. Moscow.
Kadyrov, B. R., & Kadyrov, K. B. (2016). Individual Functional Asymmetry Profile as a Factor Determining the Ratio of the Two Signaling Systems. Scientific Journal Psychology, 1, 91-99.
Pavlov, I. P. (1927). Conditioned Reflexes: An Investigation of the Physiological Activity of the Cerebral Cortex (G. V. Anrep, Trans.). Oxford University Press.
Windholz, G. (1990). The Second Signal System as Conceived by Pavlov and His Disciples. Pavlov Journal of Biological Science, 25(4), 163-173. 10.1007/BF02900699

Updated: 2025-10-02