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, self-

direction 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.  

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

 Between mentally retarded / intellectually disabled child with or without social

incompetence.

 It was meant to measure maturity in social independent or social competence from infant

to young adult.

 The main purpose of each item is to represent a particular type of ability to look after

one’s own practical needs.

 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’

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 self-

exploratory 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 self-

dressing, 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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 Appendices

A. Vineland Social Maturity Scale Questionnaire