Validation and normative data study for the Turkish version of the movie for the assessment of social cognition (MASC-TR)

Objective This study aimed to adapt the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC) into Turkish (MASC-TR), examine its psychometric properties, and establish normative data. Additionally, the study investigated the discriminative validity of the MASC-TR in differentiating individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from healthy controls. Methods The sample comprised 228 healthy adults and 29 individuals with ASD aged 18–45 years. Participants completed the MASC-TR along with established measures of theory of mind (ToM)—the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) and the Faux Pas Recognition Test (FPRT)—as well as non-social cognitive tasks assessing attention, working memory, and executive functions. Reliability analyses included internal consistency and test–retest reliability. Construct validity was assessed via convergent and discriminant correlations. Group comparisons and receiver operating characteristic analyses were used to evaluate discriminative validity, while multifactorial analysis of variance and regression analyses examined demographic effects. Results The MASC-TR demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (α=0.75) and excellent test–retest reliability (ICC=0.98). Significant positive correlations with RMET and FPRT supported convergent validity. Education level emerged as the only significant demographic predictor of MASC-TR performance. The MASC-TR successfully differentiated individuals with ASD from controls (t=−3.87, p<.001), with an optimal cutoff of 23.5 yielding 97% sensitivity and 52% specificity (area under the curve=0.72). Conclusions The findings indicate that the MASC-TR is a valid and reliable measure of social cognition in Turkish adults. The availability of culturally adapted normative data enhances its clinical and research utility for assessing ToM functioning across populations.