Table 2.
Factor loadings and item-total correlations of the OFCQ. The bold factor loading coefficients indicate strong affiliation to each of the causative theme categories.
| Item | Factor 1 | Factor 2 | Factor 3 | Factor 4 | TOTAL IC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uncanny valley effect | |||||
| I think clowns look disturbing | 0.620 | 0.355 | 0.359 | 0.705 | |
| Clowns look odd and often seem very out of place | 0.552 | 0.428 | 0.383 | 0.709 | |
| Clowns make me feel uneasy | 0.781 | 0.365 | 0.824 | ||
| I think clowns seem more like demons or aliens than humans | 0.585 | 0.321 | 0.673 | ||
| Direct sense of threat | |||||
| I cannot remember a time when I was not afraid of clowns | 0.669 | 0.576 | |||
| If I saw a clown, I would be on edge | 0.818 | 0.321 | 0.854 | ||
| I worry that a clown might harm me | 0.685 | 0.361 | 0.789 | ||
| Clowns seem like a potential threat | 0.691 | 0.421 | 0.820 | ||
| If I saw a clown, I could not help focusing my attention on it | 0.544 | 0.401 | 0.683 | ||
| Hidden emotional signals | |||||
| I cannot tell what a clown is thinking | 0.739 | 0.534 | |||
| I find it difficult to read a clown’s facial expression | 0.739 | 0.584 | |||
| When someone is dressed as a clown, I cannot tell who is underneath | 0.712 | 0.527 | |||
| Disgust/avoidance | |||||
| I would not want a clown to be in close proximity to me | 0.740 | 0.368 | 0.812 | ||
| Clowns make me feel sick to my stomach | 0.834 | 0.729 | |||
| I cannot stand the sight of clowns | 0.857 | 0.811 | |||
| Clowns remind me of disease and illness | 0.347 | 0.680 | 0.401 | ||
| Unpredictable behaviour | |||||
| If I saw a clown, I could not tell how the clown will behave | 0.438 | 0.663 | 0.692 | ||
| I worry a clown will do something unexpected | 0.619 | 0.506 | 0.755 | ||
| I cannot tell if a clown is friendly or if they will make fun of me | 0.455 | 0.634 | 0.675 | ||
| I think clowns are creepy | 0.573 | 0.416 | 0.381 | 0.705 | |
| Modelling | |||||
| A parent or family member has told me to be wary of clowns | 0.786 | 0.302 | |||
| I have a significant family member or close friend who is afraid of clowns | 0.357 | 0.508 | 0.156 | ||
| Negative media portrayals | |||||
| I have read stories in the news about people dressed as clowns harming others | 0.743 | 0.406 | |||
| I have seen videos within the media about killer clowns | 0.766 | 0.392 | |||
| I have read books involving killer clowns | 0.438 | 0.502 | 0.198 | ||
| I have seen scary scenes in films involving clowns | 0.632 | 0.276 | |||
| Frightening experience | |||||
| I have had a negative experience with a clown | 0.516 | 0.464 | 0.472 | ||
| I was not afraid of clowns when I was younger* | −0.128 | ||||
| Physiological reactivity | |||||
| If I saw a clown, this would make my muscles tense up | 0.867 | 0.844 | |||
| Clowns make me break out in a sweat | 0.869 | 0.787 | |||
| I feel my heart racing when I see a clown | 0.883 | 0.828 | |||
| Clowns make my skin crawl | 0.825 | 0.803 | |||
*This item shown here for completeness, but was omitted prior to PCA.