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

Kamila Jankowiak-Siuda , Simon Baron-Cohen , Wojciech Białaszek , Aleksandra Dopierała , Agata Kozłowska , Krystyna Rymarczyk

Abstract

The ‘Reading the Mind in the Eyes’ Test (RMET) is a test of a Theory of Mind, i.e., the ability to infer the states of minds of other people. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a Polish adaptation of the RMET. The sample consisted of 447 participants, aged 18-85. The internal consistency of the RMET was 0.668; the upper confidence interval was 0.718. The score in the Polish version of the RMET was positively correlated with the English version. Test-retest stability was acceptable, with ICC = 0.886. The correlation of RMET and the cognitive empathy measure confirms the theoretical assumptions. There were significant gender differences in RMET scores: women had higher scores than men. Elderly groups of participants differ statistically from younger groups of participants in the RMET. The Polish version of the RMET showed satisfactory psychometric parameters, comparable to those of the original version.