Description

The Theory of Mind Assessment with Verbal Scenarios (TM-AVS-14) is a psychometric assessment tool designed to evaluate an individual’s ability to understand the mental states of other people, including beliefs, emotions, intentions, and social implications.

The assessment is based on verbal scenarios, short stories, and comprehension questions developed within the framework of Theory of Mind research. These tasks have been influenced by the work of researchers such as Happé (1994) and Hutchins et al. (2008).

The TOM-VS can be applied to both children and adults and is particularly useful for assessing social understanding in individuals with autism spectrum disorders or other developmental difficulties.

Objective

The main objective of the TOM-VS is to assess Theory of Mind abilities, focusing on the understanding of other people’s beliefs, emotions, intentions, and social meanings.

The scale is used both in research contexts and in clinical assessment settings to examine differences in social cognition and mental-state understanding.

Structure and Content

The TOM-VS includes four main categories of tasks, each assessing different aspects of Theory of Mind.

The False Belief Tasks present stories in which participants must predict a character’s behaviour based on a belief that does not correspond to reality. For example, participants may be asked where a character will look for an object that has been moved without their knowledge.

The Strange Stories Test evaluates the understanding of complex social communication, including irony, lying, and sarcasm. Participants are required to interpret why a person says something that may differ from their actual thoughts or feelings.

The Theory of Mind Task Battery includes 15 questions examining different aspects of mental-state understanding, such as emotions and intentions.

The ToM Storybooks use pictures and simple stories to assess children’s understanding of emotions and beliefs.

Scoring Method

Participants answer questions by selecting or describing the correct response.

For closed-ended questions, responses are usually rated using a 3-point or 5-point Likert scale, ranging from “Not at all” to “Very much”.

The scoring considers both the accuracy of answers, based on correct or incorrect responses, and the completeness of reasoning for open-ended questions.

Higher scores indicate better understanding of mental states and stronger Theory of Mind abilities.

Data Analysis and Use

The completion time of the TOM-VS is approximately 20–30 minutes, depending on the participant’s age and abilities.

The results can be analysed through accuracy scores, qualitative evaluation of reasoning, and comparisons between different groups.

The scale may be used in developmental psychology research, clinical assessment, and intervention studies examining social cognition, emotional understanding, and interpersonal functioning.

Validity and Reliability

The TOM-VS demonstrates satisfactory psychometric properties, with reported Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from 0.75 to 0.90 across different subscales.

The scale has also demonstrated the ability to distinguish between typically developing populations and clinical populations, supporting its discriminant validity.

Applications

The Theory of Mind Assessment with Verbal Scenarios can be applied in clinical psychology, developmental assessment, autism research, educational evaluation, and studies of social cognition.

It is particularly useful for examining difficulties in understanding emotions, beliefs, intentions, and social communication, as well as for evaluating changes following educational or therapeutic interventions.

References

Happé, F. G. E. (1994). An advanced test of theory of mind: Understanding of story characters’ thoughts and feelings by able autistic, mentally handicapped, and normal children and adults. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 24(2), 129–154.

Hutchins, T. L., et al. (2008). Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 23(4), 195–206.