Acculturation Scales: Bidimensional Acculturation Scale for Hispanics

The Bidimensional Acculturation Scale for Hispanics (BAS) was developed in 1996 to provide researchers with a relatively short measure of acculturation that could address the conceptual and psychometric limitations of other acculturation scales. The BAS uses two dimensions to define acculturation, avoiding the faulty assumption that gains in learning a non-Hispanic culture imply losses in the individual's understanding of or preference for Latino culture. As such, the BAS measures respondents' behavioral characteristics in two cultural domains: Hispanic and non-Hispanic. Furthermore, the BAS is useful in research with individuals from all Latino backgrounds rather than with individuals from one subgroup (e.g., Cuban Americans, Mexican Americans).

The BAS was developed by analyzing a large number of items addressing a variety of acculturative areas (e.g., language use, preference for ...