The Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test: test-retest reliability and preliminary psychometric properties of the German version

The Reading the Mind in the Eyes test (short Eyes test) is a widely used instrument assessing theory of mind abilities in adults. The present study for the first time assesses its testretest reliability and provides initial data on the psychometric properties of a German version. 132 nonclinical participants completed the German Eyes test, a test of facial emotion recognition, and a measure of verbal skills. 40 of the 132 participants completed the Eyes test twice, three weeks apart. Results suggest that overall, the German Eyes test is a reliable instrument. No systematic learning effects occurred with repeated testing and measurement precision was evenly distributed across different ranges of performance. Moreover, a significant correlation between Eyes test scores and a related construct, the Facially Expressed Emotion Labeling (FEEL) test, supports the construct validity of the German translation. However, analyses of individual items (item difficulty, testretest agreement) suggest that psychometric properties of certain items could be improved. Examining the psychometric qualities and clinical usefulness of a short version might thus prove fruitful. Furthermore, future research should assess whether the clinical strengths of the original version (in particular, the differentiation between individuals with autism spectrum disorders and nonclinical controls) also apply to the German version.