PSYCHOMETRIC EVALUATION OF THE ‘READING THE MIND IN THE EYES’ TEST WITH SAMPLES OF DIFFERENT AGES FROM A POLISH POPULATION

Abstract

IntroductionThe 'Reading the Mind in the Eyes' Test (RMET) is a test of the Theory of Mind (ToM), the ability to infer the states of minds of other people (Baron-Cohen, 2001). ToM includes the recognition of emotional information from the face, voice, and body (TagerFlusberg & Sullivan, 1994). Theory of Mind allows for the acquiring of knowledge about other people and for constructing ideas about what people think and feel. The ToM allows for the constructing of beliefs about other people, making it easier to understand another person's motives and intensions (Baron-Cohen, 2001). The key aspect of the ToM is an ability to take the perspective of other persons, which is what makes this theoretical construct close to cognitive empathy (Philips et al., 2002).The human face is one of the most important social stimuli with which we deal every day. From the emotional expression on a face, we are able to assess whether a person is friendly or hostile, and we can infer a wide range of mental states. These inferences enable a rapid response in different social situations (Itier & Batty, 2009). The eye area is the most important area of the face in allowing others to recognize facial expressions and their underlying emotions (Baron-Cohen, 1994). We devote more time to the eye area than to other parts of the face (Itier, Villate, & Ryan, 2007; McKelvie, 1976; Fraser, Craig, & Parker, 1990; Itier & Batty, 2009; Althoff & Cohen, 1999; Baron-Cohen, Baldwin, & Crowson, 1997). Other studies also supported the neural basis of this behavior. The superior temporal sulcus (STS) and the superior temporal gyrus (STG) specialize in the perception of the eyes and face. Both are activated by the visual stimuli of the eyes during performance on the RMET (BaronCoh en, Ring, Wh eel wr i gh t , Bullmore, Brammer, Simmons, & Williams, 1999; Itier, Alain, Sedore, & McIntosh, 2007; Moor, Op de Macks, Guroglu, Rombouts, Van der Molen, & Crone, 2012).Eyes and gaze play an important role in social interactions. Avoiding or failing to maintain eye contact and difficulty in joint attention (Baron-Cohen, 1987) are associated with impaired social communication and impaired ability to read the mental states of others, which occur commonly in people with autism (Baron-Cohen, Jolliffe, Mortimore, & Robertson, 1997).The original version of the RMET was developed for adults in 1997 and was subsequently modified by adding more response options and improving the psychometric properties of the tool (Baron-Cohen, Jolliffe et al., 1997; Baron-Cohen et al., 2001). The test consists of 36 questions concerning choosing the right emotion or thought corresponding to a particular pair of eyes shown on a picture. A greater proportion of correct answers corresponds to a higher test score.The RMET assesses the ability to read emotional states of other people from the expression around their eyes (Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Hill, Raste, & Plumb, 2001). This tool was created to identify subtle deficits in autism and Asperger 's syndrome (Baron-Cohen et al., 2001). Currently, RMET is often applied to study individual differences such as sexual or age differences in the ToM (Baron-Cohen et al., 2001, and Bailey et al., 2008, respectively). The results revealed that women score higher in the original RMET than men (e.g., Baron-Cohen et al., 2001). These findings seem related to the results of the research, which has shown that empathy is more developed in women than in men (Goldenfeld et al., 2005; Baron-Cohen, Richler, Bisarya, Gurunathan, & Wheelwright, 2003; Geary et al., 1998; MaCoby et al., 1999). From earliest infancy, girls spend more time looking at faces, particularly the eyes, whereas boys turn their attention to moving objects (Connellan, Baron -Coh en, Wheel wr i ght , Batki, & Ahluwalia, 2008). Women interpret all nonverbal messages more accurately on the basis of facial expression (e. …