Description of Test
This is a children’s version of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, which was designed to detect subtle individual differences in social sensitivity and theory of mind ability. A series of 28 photographs of the eye region of the face of different actors and actresses was presented and, in each case, the twin was asked to choose fwhich of four words (e.g., ‘jealous’, ‘scared’, ‘relaxed’, ‘hate’) best describes what the person in the picture was thinking or feeling. The items and responses are tabulated in full further down this page, in the table of items.
All 28 items were presented to all twins, with no branching or discontinue rules. Items were presented in order of item number. Each item had a 1 minute timeout, imposed so as to keep the test moving and to remove a question from the screen if the twin left the room.
Test Rules
- Scoring
For each question, the correct response is given a score of 1, and any of the three incorrect responses is given a score of 0.
The maximum total score for the test is 28. - Ordering of items
Items are presented in ascending order of item number. There are no branching or discontinue rules. - Timeout rule
Each item has a time limit of 1 minute within which a response must be given. If 1 minute passes without the twin giving a response, the item is forfeited (with score zero) and removed from the screen, to be replaced with a "next item" link to allow the twin to continue the test.
Item Variables
The item variables relating to the Eyes test, as listed in the table below, were generated automatically by programs on the web server during the course of the test. Note that the dataset only includes data for completed tests. If a twin started the test but left it unfinished, then the data for the test were not used. Note also that the variable holding the total test score was also generated automatically on the web server, so this is treated as an item variable, not a derived variable.
In most cases the values of these variables have been left unaltered, although some have been recoded during data cleaning as follows. See the web data cleaning page for further details.
- For timed out items, the item response variable is recoded from missing to -1, and the item answer time is recoded to missing (item scores are 0)
- For items that crashed or malfunctioned in any way, the item response variable is recoded from missing to -4, and the item score is recoded from missing to 0.
- For instances of crashed or otherwise compromised tests, the status flag is recoded from 2 to 3, the data flag is recoded from 1 to 0, and all item variables are recoded to missing (test data deleted)
- For twins identified as random responders in this test, the status flag is recoded from 2 to 4, the data flag is recoded from 1 to 0, and all item variables are recoded to missing (test data deleted)
The test start and end dates and times, and item answer and download times, have not been retained in the dataset.
| Variables | Explanation | Values |
|---|---|---|
| leystat1/2 | Test status: outcome of test | 0=not started, 1=started but not finished, 2=successfully completed, 3=test crashed or otherwise compromised, 4=random responses |
| leydata1/2 | Data flag: is test data present in the dataset? | 0=no, 1=yes |
| leytot1/2 | Total score for this test, out of 28. | 0 to 28 (integer values) |
| leystdt1/2 | Start date of the test [not in dataset] | Date values |
| leysttm1/2 | Start time of the test [not in dataset] | Time values |
| leyendt1/2 | End date of the test [not in dataset] | Date values |
| leyentm1/2 | End time of the test [not in dataset] | Time values |
| leysess1/2 | Number of sessions (at the computer) used by the twin to complete the test. | Integer values of 1 or above |
| leytime1/2 | Time taken to complete the test, in seconds | Integer values (number of seconds) |
| ley01an1/2 through to ley28an1/2 | Item response (see table of items below for details) | 1, 2, 3 or 4 (response selected) Also -1=item timed out, -4=item crashed. |
| ley01sc1/2 through to ley28sc1/2 | Item score (see table of items below for details) | 0=incorrect, 1=correct |
| ley01at1/2 through to ley28at1/2 | Answer time: length of time (in seconds) taken by the twin to respond to this item [not in dataset] | Integer values (number of seconds) |
| ley01dt1/2 through to ley28dt1/2 | Download time: length of time (in seconds) between the end of the previous item and the start of this item; time needed to download files for this item [not in dataset] | Integer values (number of seconds) |
Test Items
The numbering of the items, shown in the table below, equates to the numbering used in the item variables. This is the same as the order in which items were presented to twins in the test.
| item | picture | response 1 | response 2 | response 3 | response 4 | correct response |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | hate | surprised | kind | cross | 3 |
| 2 |  | unkind | cross | surprised | sad | 4 |
| 3 |  | friendly | sad | surprised | worried | 1 |
| 4 |  | relaxed | upset | surprised | excited | 2 |
| 5 |  | feeling sorry | making somebody do something | joking | relaxed | 2 |
| 6 |  | hate | unkind | worried | bored | 3 |
| 7 |  | feeling sorry | bored | interested | joking | 3 |
| 8 |  | remembering | happy | friendly | angry | 1 |
| 9 |  | annoyed | hate | surprised | thinking about something | 4 |
| 10 |  | kind | shy | not believing | sad | 3 |
| 11 |  | bossy | hoping | angry | disgusted | 2 |
| 12 |  | confused | joking | sad | serious | 4 |
| 13 |  | thinking about something | upset | excited | happy | 1 |
| 14 |  | happy | thinking about something | excited | happy | 2 |
| 15 |  | not believing | friendly | wanting to play | relaxed | 1 |
| 16 |  | made up her mind | joking | surprised | bored | 1 |
| 17 |  | angry | friendly | unkind | a bit worried | 4 |
| 18 |  | thinking about something sad | angry | bossy | friendly | 1 |
| 19 |  | angry | daydreaming | sad | interested | 4 |
| 20 |  | kind | surprise | not pleased | excited | 3 |
| 21 |  | interested | joking | relaxed | happy | 1 |
| 22 |  | playful | kind | surprised | thinking about something | 4 |
| 23 |  | surprised | sure about something | joking | happy | 2 |
| 24 |  | serious | ashamed | confused | surprised | 1 |
| 25 |  | shy | guilty | daydreaming | worried | 4 |
| 26 |  | joking | relaxed | nervous | sorry | 3 |
| 27 |  | ashamed | excited | not believing | pleased | 3 |
| 28 |  | disgust | hate | happy | bored | 3 |