@article{Baumeister:15263,
      recid = {15263},
      author = {Baumeister, Franziska and Wolfer, Pauline and Sahbaz,  Sümeyra and Rudelli, Nicola and Capallera, Marine and Daum,  Moritz M. and Samson, Andrea C. and Corrigan, Grace and  Naigles, Letitia and Durrleman, Stephanie},
      title = {Measuring theory of mind : a preliminary analysis of a  novel linguistically simple and tablet-based measure for  children},
      publisher = {Frontiers},
      journal = {Frontiers in Developmental Psychology},
      address = {Lausanne, Switzerland. 2024-09},
      number = {ARTICLE},
      pages = {19 p.},
      abstract = {This study introduces a novel linguistically simple,  tablet-based, behavioral Theory of Mind (ToM) measure,  designed for neurotypical (NT) and autistic children aged  4–10 years. A synthesis of five comprehensive reviews of  existing ToM measures revealed significant gaps in their  designs; the weaknesses include a mismatch between the  operational and conceptual definition of ToM, high verbal  demands in most measures, materials that are minimally  interesting for children, and often a lack of psychometric  evaluations. These findings call into question the  suitability of most of the currently available ToM measures  used in children, both with and without developmental  disorders, such as children with autism spectrum disorder  (ASD). For example, the assessment of ToM in children with  ASD may require reduced reliance on complex language or  social interaction that can be part of the diagnostic  criteria of the condition. This newly designed ToM measure,  developed in line with the “Standards for Educational and  Psychological Testing” of the American Educational Research  Association, is linguistically simple, tablet-based,  suitable for children with ASD, and is available in  English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish. With a  sample of 234 participants, including 152 NT children and  82 children with ASD between 4 and 10 years of age, the new  ToM measure's psychometric properties were preliminarily  evaluated. Descriptive statistics, measures of internal  consistency, inter-item correlation, and validity checks  were conducted in both groups. Further inspections of the  measure's scale- and item-level characteristics were  conducted with the help of exploratory factor analyses  (EFA), and item response theory (IRT) within the NT  children's group. These preliminary evaluations suggest  that the newly developed ToM measure possesses good  psychometric properties and is both accessible and engaging  for children. Further investigation with a larger group of  participants is necessary to reinforce these initial  results. This will allow item- and scale-level assessments  within a wider range of autistic children. For this  purpose, the task will be made freely available to the  scientific community.},
      url = {http://arodes.hes-so.ch/record/15263},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fdpys.2024.1445406},
}