Purpose of the Questionnaire (Scale)

The assessments evaluate the understanding of mental states (beliefs, intentions, emotions of others), the ability of social perception and empathy, as well as cognitive flexibility in social contexts.
They are addressed to individuals on the autism spectrum (ASD), children and adults with social difficulties, and researchers in developmental psychology.

Questionnaire (Scale) Analysis

Main Assessments:
False Belief Task: A classic example is the following: Anna moves the chocolate while Maria is absent. The question is asked: “Where will Maria look?” This evaluates the understanding that others may hold false beliefs.
Hinting Task: For example, Helen says, “It’s very cold in here!” and the participant is asked to interpret the statement. This examines the ability to understand indirect social intentions.
Picture Sequencing Task: The participant is asked to arrange pictures in a logical order, in order to highlight the understanding of social scenes and emotional states.

Scoring

Quantitative scoring: A correct answer scores 1 point, while an incorrect answer scores 0 points.
The total score is expressed as the percentage of correct answers (%).
Interpretation:
A score above 85% is considered a normal performance.
A score below 70% indicates reduced Theory of Mind, with possible signs of autism spectrum disorder or social difficulties.

Statistical Analysis

The sensitivity for diagnosing ASD reaches 92%, while specificity is 88%.
The assessments show significant correlation with other tools, such as:
Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ): r = .75
Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS): r = .68

Validity & Reliability

Internal consistency (Cronbach’s α) reaches .89.
Discriminant validity is strong, as the assessments distinguish individuals with ASD from typically developing individuals (effect size d = 1.5).
Validated Greek adaptations of the assessments exist (see Papadopoulos et al., 2020).

References

Key Sources:
Baron-Cohen, S., et al. (1985). Does the autistic child have a “theory of mind”? Cognition, 21(1), 37-46.
Premack, D., & Woodruff, G. (1978). Does the chimpanzee have a theory of mind? BBS, 1(4), 515-526.
Greek Studies:
Papadopoulos, G. (2020). Validation of Theory of Mind assessments in a Greek population. Hellenic Journal of Psychology, 15(2), 45-60.

Keywords

Theory of Mind, Autism Spectrum, Social Cognitive Assessment, False Belief