Vineland Social Maturity Scale [PDF]

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Assessing Social Maturity with Vineland Social Maturity Scale (VSMS) Social Maturity is the ability to function in an appropriate responsible manner. It has various aspects of social abilities as self-sufficiency, occupational activities, communication, selfdirection and social participation. It is the level of social skills and awareness that an individual has achieved relative to particular norms related to an age group. It is a measure of the development competence of an individual with regard to interpersonal relations, behaviour appropriateness, social problem solving and judgment. Social maturity can be assessed using the Vineland Social Maturity Scale (VSMS).  Introduction of the test The Vineland Maturity scale was originally devised by Edger Arnold Doll in 1935 discussed in Doll's booklet Your Child Grows Up in 1950. It was constructed to test the levels of social maturity among children and young adults. Since its first publication, it has served the useful purpose of estimating the differential social capacities of an individual. Since its conception, the VSMS has been used widely all around the world and various adaptations of the scale have been made. The very first attempt to adapt this scale to Indian cultural conditions was done by Rev. Fr. Dr. A. J. Malin at the Nagpur Child Guidance Center. The use of this scale at the Nagpur Child Guidance Centre confirmed its usefulness with intellectually disabled children. The results to date appear so promising that the use of this scale at many other clinics, guidance centers may bring forth further valuable information. With the arrival of more research findings in our own country may eventually produce a scale that can be widely used in our country. Although the original VSMS by Doll goes up to the level of XXV years + level, the Nagpur Adaptation stops at the XV-year level.  



The scale which consists of 89 test items is grouped according to year levels, arranged in an increasing order of difficulty and can be used for the age group of 0-15 years.  Generally, this test is used along with other measures of intelligence in order to develop a comprehensive picture of the individual’s abilities. This test is found to have a correlation of 0.85 to 0.96 with the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. Purpose 



The important purpose of this test was for Child Guidance, Child training and to distinguish



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Between mentally retarded / intellectually disabled child with or without social incompetence.



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It was meant to measure maturity in social independent or social competence from infant to young adult.



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The main purpose of each item is to represent a particular type of ability to look after one’s own practical needs.



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The test has a correlation of .80 to .85 with standard intelligence tests.



Social age According to APA dictionary of Psychology, "social age (SA) a numerical scale unit expressing how mature a person is in terms of his or her interpersonal skills and ability to fulfil the norms and expectations associated with particular social roles, as compared to others of the same chronological age."" Social age is a reflection of the place occupied by an individual at a particular point in time within the society to which he/she belongs. This age, with its corresponding rights and duties, is a relative measure that depends on individuals’



personal perceptions of the continuities or discontinuities of their life, and on social perceptions of the stages that make up the life cycle" Seguy et al. (2019) Social age of a person is also influenced by the culture in which a person lives. In one culture, a person can be socially mature at social age of. 14 in other he/she can be at age of 18. Social quotient The ratio between social age and chronological age. A social quotient is a parallel concept to an IQ, wherein a score of 100 indicates average performance for age and scores less than 100 indicate below average functioning. It is now increasingly called the social intelligence quotient. An index of social maturity, based on the ratio definition of the intelligence quotient or IQ, the social quotient being defined as social age divided by chronological age, the ratio then being multiplied by 100. Hence SQ = (SA/CA) × 100.  SA – Social Age CA- Chronological Age SQ – Social Quotient Description of dimensions The items on the scale are classified under categories of items: self-help general, self-help dressing, self-help eating, communication, self-direction, socialization, locomotion, and occupation. Each age level, however, does not measure all the eight categories resulting in limited item density for all the categories. 1) Self-help General (SHG): This category indicates a child's ability to engage in general self-help activities that include, food preparation, hygiene, basic literacy and numeracy skills.



2) Self Help Dressing (SHD): This category indicates a child's ability to cleanse themselves as well as dressing himself/herself. 3) Self-help Eating (SHE): This category indicates a child's ability to consume food themselves.  4) Self-direction (SD): Period of adolescent is specifically characterized by desire of social freedom in personal conduct. This expresses itself in a gradual breaking away from authority, which is followed in early childhood by assumption of responsibility and authority for others. 5) Locomotion: Refers to the social movements associated with social responsibilities such as going to neighbourhoods or school. Locomotion is hindlimb-dominated, with the centre of gravity of the body located closer to the hindlimbs, such that the typical walking gait follows a diagonal sequence (forefoot precedes hindfoot on each side) (International Encyclopaedia of the Social & Behavioural Sciences, 2001). 6) Occupation (OCC): This category includes concentration of playful activities during infancy mainly involving in self-exploratory tasks and working for and with others. 7) Communication (COM): This is related to social use of language, literacy and other means of communication and how these help individuals to adapt better. 8) Socialization/ Social Skills (SC): It includes social skills like initiation of mixing socially with others. The process of learning to behave in a way that is acceptable to society. Aim



To assess the memory quotient (MQ) of subject belonging to Anubhuti Seva Sanstha using Vineland Social Maturity Scale (VSMS), Methodology Subject’s Particulars Subject’s Initials: AB, is a physically disabled child (20% disabled) stays in hostels of Anubhuti Seva Sanstha Age: 14 years of Age Gender: Male Educational qualification: 10th Class Informant: Teacher from Anubhuti Seva Sanstha Material required Pen, paper, test manual, answer sheet, pencil, eraser, Preliminary Arrangements 1.



Proper ventilation and water facility were maintained.



2.



Proper seating arrangements were made.



3.



Subject was seated in a place having moderate temperature.



4.



All distractions were avoided.



5.



Rapport was established with the subject.



Rapport Formation



Subject was informed about the test. Basic conversation about his day and hobbies were asked. Basic details were taken. Subject was seated comfortably. Consent was taken and assurance of confidentiality was given. Instructions Following instructions were given to the subject: “This test is going to be administered to assess your memory quotient. You have to provide basic details like name, age, sex and educational qualifications. Your responses and information will be kept confidential and will not be shared with anyone. If you provide your consent, we can move ahead with the test. There are 7 parts of the test. In first part “Personal and Current Information”, you have to give answers of the questions that will be asked, there are total 6 questions. After first part, we will move to the second part. 2nd part is having 5 questions. 3rd part is having 2 tasks, you are required to do as you will be instructed. In 4 part there is a recall related task. Further, we have part 5, 6 and 7. The administration will take 30-35 minutes. You can leave test; in case you find anything uncomfortable. You can ask doubts and your queries at any point of time.” Administration The test is administered during an interview with a teacher of familiar with the person being assessed. The administration is carried out in a semi-structured informal atmosphere by having the teacher along with the child or having the child alone depending upon the demands made by the items. It is preferable to request mothers to keep silent and non-participant in the testing situation but just to provide security to the child by being present. Scoring



Table 1 The subject’s scores on the Vineland Social Maturity Scale (VSMS) Measure



Score



Chronological Age



14 Years (168 months)



Social Age



14 Years and 7 months (14.58 years or 175 months)



Social Quotient



96.02



Table 2 The Subject’s scores on the eight domains of the Vineland Social Maturity Scale (VSMS) Domain



Score



Self-help General



65



Self-help eating



77



Self-help Dressing



73



Self-Direction



88



Occupation



88



Communication



85



Locomotion



78



Socialization



89



Result The scale was administered on a 14-year-old male and the informant was his mother. Both the mother and the client remained calm and composed during the entire assessment. The mother provided a lot of information about the child’s development and the child also contributed to the mother’s responses. They were both very patient and cooperative. On the basis



of the responses, the child’s Social Age (S.A) was calculated to be 14 years and 7 months. The Social Quotient (SQ) was calculated as being 96.02. Therefore, it can be inferred that he falls under the category of ‘average’ on social maturity. Interpretation The child’s performance on the 8 areas of social maturity are as follows 1. Self-help General: This domain measures general abilities such as grasping objects, standing, avoiding hazards etc. The client obtained a score of 66 which falls under the age range of 7 to 8 years. Since this is the highest score, it can be said that the client’s social competence for this domain is optimal. 2. Self-help eating: This domain looks at whether the child can eat independently. The client obtained a score of 75 which falls under the age range of 9 to 10 years which is optimal for their age. 3. Self-help Dressing: This domain looks at two aspects which are self-dressing and personal cleanliness. The client obtained a score of 74 for this domain which falls under the range of 8 to 9 years. Since the client has a chronological age of 10, they have a deficit in this domain of social maturity. 4. Self-Direction: This domain is characterized by desire of social freedom in personal conduct expressed by taking up responsibility. The client obtained a score of 87 which falls under the age range of 14 to 15 years which indicates that the child’s social competence is optimal for this domain. 5. Occupation: this domain comprises playful activity in infancy, helping in minor and selfexploratory tasks and working for others. The client obtained a score of 89 for this



domain which falls under the age range of 14 to 15 years which is of optimal level for the child. 6. Communication: This domain is related to the child’s social use of language and communication with others which helps the child adapt better. The client has obtained a score of 84 for this domain which falls under the age range of 14 to 15 years which is of optimal level for the child. 7. Locomotion: This domain is associated with social movements and responsibilities. The client obtained a score of 77 which falls under the age range of 9 to 10 years which is optimal for their age. 8. Socialization: This domain measures if the child has successfully formed social relationships and displays socially appropriate behaviour. The client obtained a score of 88 which falls under the age range of 14 to 15 years indicating that the client’s social competence in this domain is optimal. Therefore, it can be inferred from the client’s scores that he has an effective perception of the social environment, he can effectively control the social circumstances and can develop a stable pattern of social behaviour. R.A. has an intact awareness about his social roles, he can lead an effective social life and is considerate about others. R.A. is self-reliant in the context of selfdressing, self-help eating, and self-help grooming. He has an intact occupation, communication and locomotion skills. R.A. can relate with others and get along with them as well as deal with social situations effectively and efficiently. Discussion Conditions, such as autism spectrum disorders, where children score low on ‘socialization’ and ‘communication’ domains, which will adversely affect the SQ. Similarly, children with cerebral



palsy score poorly on ‘locomotion’ and ‘socialization’ domains, which affects their SQ. Despite these differences, there are no ways this can be offset or compensated. The study finds a positive correlation between social quotient, which is the approximate IQ, and adaptive functioning. The higher the social quotient, the higher the adaptive behaviour skills. Peters (2004) also found a similar finding that the adaptive behaviour skills of children were strongly correlated with their cognitive abilities. Such a correlation between the cognitive abilities and adaptive behaviour skills was found in other studies conducted on children with Genetic Syndrome (e.g., Dykens et al., 1994; Carter et al., 1998). Mervis et al., (2005) found the child with the lowest IQ evidenced the weakest adaptive behaviour and adaptive behaviour ability was also strongly related to intellectual ability. Although the original VSMS by Doll goes up to the age level of 25 years, but the Nagpur adaptation limited it only up to fifteen years of age so that it may fulfil the purpose to meet the clinical procedures of assessment and training which are mostly limited up to the age of fifteen years. Conclusion The Vineland Social Maturity Scale was administered on the client R.A., and he attained an average score of 176 on social maturity which indicates that the client can act efficiently and effectively in a myriad of social situations. He has intact social abilities such as self-sufficiency, occupational activities, communication, self-direction, and participation. It can be said that the client is socially mature for their age.



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Pringle, M. L. K. (1951). Social Maturity and Social Competence. Educational Review, 3(2), 113–128. https://doi.org/10.1080/0013191510030203 Shneidman, E. S. (1956). Vineland Social Maturity Scale. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 20(5), 409–410. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0039599 Take a Deeper Look Into Human Memory. (2019, January). Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-memory-2795006



Appendices A. Vineland Social Maturity Scale Questionnaire



B. Vineland Social Maturity Scale-Norms For Profile Analysis