The social shapes test: A new measure of social intelligence, mentalizing, and theory of mind

Abstract

Although individual differences in the ability known as social intelligence are important to many areas of psychological science, there are few validated measures of this capacity. Existing measures often involve complex verbal materials, focus on images of human faces, or are based on self-report judgments. Here we describe the development and validation of a new measure of social intelligence: the Social Shapes Test (SST). The SST is inspired by the work of Heider and Simmel (1944), Klin (2000), and recent applications of their work in social and clinical neuroscience studies of mentalizing and Theory of Mind. Each SST item consists of a short video of 4–6 simple geometric shapes that are animated to simulate social interactions, paired with an objectively scored, multiple-choice question. Scores on the SST predict performance on measures of social intelligence beyond the effects of cognitive ability. SST scores are also distinct from cognitive abilities and do not appear to vary based on sex, race/ethnicity, or current affect. With just 23 engaging items and a duration of about 10 minutes, the SST is a convenient tool for researchers to measure social intelligence, alone or in combination with other established measures.