Theory of Mind Test for Children: Content Validity

Abstract In the national context, there is a lack of instruments to evaluate Theory of Mind, especially with studies of their psychometric properties. This study aimed to investigate content validity evidence for the Theory of Mind Test for Children - TMEC. The development steps, analysis by expert judges and verification of the applicability of the instrument in children aged between 4 and 6 years are described. The TMEC was organized into 4 subtests, following the tasks model described in the literature. Next, 5 judges investigated the clarity of the instructions, the registration form and the score, the level of difficulty of the items and the need for changes. Items highlighted by the judges were reformulated, following the criterion of at least 80% agreement. The applicability of the instrument in a group of six preschool children was verified, which indicated the need to reword a few items for better understanding of the applicator and the child.

摘要 在本国语境下，针对心理理论（Theory of Mind）的评估工具仍较为匮乏，且针对其心理测量学特性的相关研究尤为不足。本研究旨在探究儿童心理理论测验（Theory of Mind Test for Children, TMEC）的内容效度证据。本文详述了该测验的开发流程、专家评审分析环节，以及该工具在4至6岁儿童群体中的适用性验证工作。该测验参考已有文献中的任务范式，划分为4个分测验。随后，5名专家评审对测验的指导语、登记表格与计分规则、题目难度水平及修订必要性进行了评估。经评审标记并达成至少80%一致性共识的题目，均进行了重新表述。后续，本研究在6名学龄前儿童群体中验证了该工具的适用性，结果表明需对部分题目进行措辞调整，以提升施测者与儿童对题目的理解程度。