Validity of the “Moving Shapes” Paradigm: A Test to Evaluate the Ability to Understand Others’ Intentionality

Abstract

Objectives Attributing the intention to others' behavior is one important factor in the theory of mind development. This study aimed to assess validity of the " Moving shapes " paradigm in a group of Iranian school-aged children to evaluate their understanding the intention of others' behavior. Methods Through randomized cluster sampling, students at grades 3 to 5 were recruited among the mainstream schools in Tehran. Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). After using the Ishihara test to rule out color-blindness, the " Moving shapes " paradigm was performed for all partici-pants. Data were analyzed using descriptive methods, T test, linear regression, and Pearson's correlation analysis. Results The mean age of the participants was 9.96(SD=0.916) years, and 49.2% of them were male. There was no association between age and gender with intentionality score. All variables of the para-digm were significantly correlated with each other (P<0.05). The correlation coefficient for intentionality score and number of metallizing terms was 0.612 (P=0.01). There was no significant association between the CBCL subscale scores and animated variables. Conclusion The " Moving shapes paradigm " can be used as a valid test for evaluation of the intentionality in Iranian school-aged children.