Validation of the Intention Attribution Test for Children (IAC)

Authors

Vanwalleghem, S., Miljkovith, R., Atkinson, L., Counsell, A., & Vinter, A.

Year

2019

Title

Validation of the Intention Attribution Test for Children (IAC)

Journal / book / conference

Assessment

Abstract

The Intention Attribution Test for Children (IAC) was created to assess hostile attribution bias in preschool- and early
school-aged children. It comprises 16 cartoon strips presenting situations in which one character (either a child or an
adult) causes harm to another, either intentionally, accidentally (nonintentional), or without his or her intention being
clear (ambiguous). Its validity was tested on 233 children aged 4 to 12 years. Exploratory factor analysis and item response
theory models demonstrated support for a single factor of hostile attribution bias for the ambiguous and nonintentional
items. Analyses revealed, however, that the intentional items did not contribute to this same overall construct of hostile
intention attribution bias. Correlations with the Social Perception Test and with sociometry suggest good validity of the
IAC. The IAC may be a useful instrument for research and in the context of therapeutic intervention addressing socially
inappropriate behavior in childhood.

Volume

DOI: 10.11

Keywords

assessment, social cognition, hostile attribution bias, development, children

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