VINELAND SOCIAL MATURITY SCALE INDIAN ADAPTATION

12-1-2016
Introduction
Social maturity is related to how well people understand the nature of the
social world they live within. It has been variously defined and described at different
age levels for children. In every culture there is a process of socialization in which the
individual moves from an uncultured and unskilled stage to a condition of
interpersonal affiliation and harmony as a member of his society. Therefore, the
degree of a childs social maturity can be defined as the level of significant social
behavior attained at a given age. Social maturity may be assessed according to the
way it is manifested in the child behavior. Persons with intellectual impairments
experience varying degrees of deficits in social skills, which can lead to isolation,
stigmatization, lack of coping skills, increased maladaptive behaviors, and increased
rates of psychopathology (Matson & Hammer 1996).
The Vineland Social Maturity Scale (VSMS) is a non-projective personality
measurement scale designed to help in the assessment of social competence. It was
developed by the American psychologist Edgar Arnold Doll. It is a quality
psychometric questionnaire and a good measure of adaptive behavior. An Indian
adaptation of the test is used to measure social maturity of children in the Indian
population.

Description of the test

The Vineland social maturity scale was originally developed by E. A. Doll in
1935 and was later adapted by Dr. J. Bharath Raj and has since been used in many
parts of the country. This scale not only provides social age (SA) and social quotient

measures but also indicates the social deficits and social assets in a growing child. It is
for the ages of 0 to 15 years. It is also a good measure to identify mental retardation as
well as superior intelligence. The test consists of 89 items measuring 8 different
domains of social maturity:

Communication skills (COM)

General self-help ability (SHG)
Locomotion skills (LOC)
Occupation skills (OCC)
Self-direction (SD)
Self-help eating (SHE)
Self-help dressing (SHD)
Socialization skills (SOC)
This scale requires responses from a parent along with the child which ensures

that responses are marked accurately as parents are usually assumed to have accurate
recall of their childs development. Usually, the mother is asked for responses and the
child is seated next to her and clear/correct responses when the parent is wrong or
unsure. In addition, the scale provides an overall social quotient measure as well as
the maturity age level for each of the domains of social maturity enhancing the ability
to find developmental lags and for later training in the same.
The Vineland Social Maturity Scale (VSMS), despite its limitations, is an
excellent clinical technique and includes psychometric and questionnaire
characteristics. It is a good single measure of adaptive behavior. It lends itself to
identifying personal-social strengths and weaknesses of youngsters and special
education students. The Profile is recommended to school counselors, school
psychologists, and teachers.

Administration

Procedure. The parent (usually the mother) and child are seated comfortably
and rapport is established with both. Certain socio-demographic details are procured.
Items are ticked or crossed depending on whether the item has been accomplished or
not.
Instruction. The parent is told the following I will be asking a few
questions about certain developmental milestones of your child for particular ages.
Depending on whether or not your child accomplished these tasks at that particular
age, answer yes or no. In case you do not understand something, please clarify
before answering.
Norms and scoring. The number of items which have been ticked are totalled
and the corresponding social age for the score is added by referring to the table. The
social quotient is computed by dividing social age by the chronological age and
multiplying by hundred. This social quotient can be interpreted by the normative IQ
interpretation. The clients age-level maturity for each of the 8 domains is also
determined with reference to the table to indicate if the child accomplished ageappropriate tasks.

Socio-demographic details
Name: A. G. S.
Age: 12
Gender: Female
Occupation: Student
Languages spoken: Hindi, English, Gujarati, and Tamil
Rural/Urban: Urban
Socio-Economic Status: Upper Socio-economic Status

Marital Status: Unmarried

Referred by: NA
Referred for: NA
Presenting complaints: NA
Duration of illness: NA

Observations
The client and her mother were attentive throughout the test-taking procedure.
Her mother answered all the questions but was doubtful about certain items. She was
also a little restless towards the end as it was their dinnertime. It was easy to build
rapport with her and she had good comprehension. She finished answering the
questions in about half an hour.

Results:
Table 1: Showing the results of client AGS on the Vineland Social Maturity Scale
Indian Adaptation
Social Maturity
Social Maturity Quotient
Domains
Self-help General (SHG)
Self-help eating (SHE)
Self-help Dressing (SHD)
Self-Direction (SD)
Occupation (OCC)
Communication (COM)
Locomotion (LOC)
Socialization (SOC)

Interpretation

Score
58.33
Item accomplished
23
75
86
87
89
78
77
88

Interpretation
Mild retardation
Maturity level years
1-2 (lower)
9-10
12-15
12-15
12-15
10-11 (lower)
9-10
12-15

The social quotient for client AGS was 58.33. The score falls in the category
of mild retardation and may imply deficits in her social maturity.
Item 23 (avoids simple obstacles) has been achieved in the domain of SHG
(Self-Help General), which indicates maturity for age 1-2 instead of 7-8, which is the
ideal maturity level. The client needs training in this domain.
Client AGS also showed accomplished maturity for the domain of SHE (SelfHelp Eating) by achieving the task of caring for self at meals (Item 75). It was
accomplished within the normal age group of 9-10 years. No further training is
required.
In the domain of SHD (Self-Help Dressing), AGS achieved item 86 by age 12
in accordance with the norms. She was able to exercise complete care of her clothing.
No further training is required.
Client AGS achieved item 87 (buys own clothing accessories) in the domain of
SD (Self-Direction). This is in accordance with the maturity level of her age. No
further training is required.
In the domain of OCC (Occupation), AGS achieved item 89 (performs
responsible routine chores) appropriate for her age. No further training is required.
Client AGS achieved item 78 (writes occasional short letters to friends) in the
domain of COM (Communication). The item was accomplished by age 10-11, which
is lower than the normative age. Training is required.
In domain LOC (Locomotion), the client achieved item 77 (goes about home
freely) indicating maturity for this domain has been accomplished by age 9-10. No
further training is required.

AGS accomplished item 88 (engages in adolescent group activities) in the

domain of SOC (socialization) showing maturity appropriate for her age. No further
training is required.

Summary
Client AGS achieved age-appropriate social maturity on all domains except for
Self-Help General and Communication. In the SHG domain, she achieved item 23
indicating a gap in social maturity as her chronological age is 12 and the age indicated
by the accomplished item was 1-2 years. This lag is considerably larger than on the
domain of Communication, which is one level lower than the norm.
Her Social Quotient was 58.33 but there is a possibility that the interviewer
was not able to clearly explain the items to the mother and the child as her personal
account of AGS indicated that her social maturity was age appropriate and that there
were no developmental or adjustment lags.

Recommendations
i)
ii)

Self-help training to improve childs initiative taking ability.

Parent counseling to allow more room for learning for the child and more
communication.

References
Doll, Edgar Arnold (1953). The measurement of social competence: a manual for
the Vineland social maturity scale. Educational Test Bureau, Educational
Publishers. doi:10.1037/11349-000
Doll, E. A. (1940). "Annotated bibliography on the Vineland Social Maturity
Scale.. Journal of Consulting Psychology 4 (4): 123132.
doi:10.1037/h0063524

Jain, T. (2016). Brief notes on the concpet of Social Maturity.

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