APPLICATION OF VINELAND SOCIAL MATURITY

SCALE
Name: X Imaan

Age: 5 years and 5 months

Gender: Female
Birth order: Youngest

No of siblings: 2
Class: Kindergarten

HISTORY
Child belongs to a family with low socio-economic status. X was born as a result
of cesarean section instead of normal delivery. Mothers age was 40 years at the
time of her birth. Father of child is an entrepreneur with intermediate education
and mothers education was till middle school.
She has another elder sister who is 21 years of age currently; there is huge age
difference between child and his elder sister.
Mother of child died when she was 4 years old as a result of heart attack.
According to family members there was a slight difference in behavior of child
after death of mother yet there is no detection of any psychological harm.
No history of any psychological disorder is present in family. Child has good
relations with her sister and father. Earlier father had good relations with mother
also provided child with healthy environment to grow.
X has number of friends in school and neighborhood. Because she is living in
joint family system, she enjoys company of her cousins also. She is a very active
child and takes part in sports and other indoor and outdoor activities
Academic performance of child is above average as she is a position holder in
class and has good IQ. According to his sister she is very intelligent and grasp
new concepts easily and asks questions which indicates her healthy growth of
mind.

METHADOLOGY
Vineland social maturity scale is used to access child. As this scale is best
adapted for scientific study of social maturity of children.

Scale Description:
It was developed by the US psychologist Edgar (Arnold) Doll (18891968), originally
published in 1936, and discussed in Doll's booklet Your Child Grows Up in 1950. The
Vineland Social Maturity Scales (VSMS), measures social maturity or social competence in
individuals from birth to adulthood. It consist of 117 items which can be interviewed with
primary care giver or parent.
Doll himself stated in favor of scale:
In formulating the modus operandi of social competence thus conceived, we have employed
six major expressions of social independence and responsibility. Namely, self help,
locomotion communication, occupation, self direction, and socialization. Each of these major
categories of social behavior has for our purposes, been reduced to succession of specific
performances has its own maturation period, or growth curve, which reflects individual
differences in rate of development. The central tendency of each growth curve can be
calculated and its dispersion determined in statistical terms. The sum of the item
performances can be expressed as total score which reflects the degrees of maturation in
social competence. The scores can be expressed as central tendencies for successive life age
groups and thereby expressed as "social ages."(Doll, May,1937).

SUBSCALES
The test consists of 8 sub-scales measuring:

Communication skills

General self-help ability

Locomotion skills

Occupation skills

Self-direction

Self-help eating

Self-help dressing

Socialization skills
SELF HELP CATEGORY:
Self help is further divided into three divisions: General activities, Eating, Dressing.
Major considerations of these items are the manner and degree to which the individual
attends to his immediate personal wants

Self help General:

This is related to general activities which cannot come under different categories e.g.
grasping objects, standing, avoiding hazards etc.
Series of preliminary to walking is apparent in item 2, 5, 8, 9, 15.
Item 3, 6, 13, 23 reveal manipulation
Item 35, 51 indicate toilet reliance and item 26 might be considered as locomotion where as
item 41 as self diction and 66 as communication
Self Help Eating:
Feeding is a way of getting social independence.
This category involves 12 items; item 11, 25 and 39 are serial for drinking.
Item 28, 38, 62 and 67 for table utensils
item 16, 20, 30 and 33 for control and discrimination, while item 75 reveals an overall
synthesis.
Self Help Dressing:
This category deals with two separate aspects of dressing. Namely, personal cleanliness and
use of garments.
Dressing and undressing items are 21, 37, 42, 47, 54, and 65

Items related to cleansing are 40, 50, 52, 64, 70. Item 65 and 74 include both. Item 86
synthesize category and add superior details
LOCOMOTION:
Locomotion involves social locomotion i.e. associated with social responsibilities. Also
known as social movements. Locomotive activities such as running and jumping reach at its
peak till age of five but social accompaniment of locomotion increases with range of
expression as individual maturity elaborates use and need.
Item are 12, 18, 29, 32, 45, 53, 61, and 77
OCCUPATION:
This may include concentration of playful activity in infancy, helping minor tasks, involve in
self exploratory tasks and working for others.
Serial grouping are evident i.e. Self occupation include item 7, 19, 22, 36, 43, 55, 57, 107
Helpful task items are 24, 48, 72, and 89
Self initiated work items include 71, 80, 82, 108, and 116
Progressive level of adult productivity include item 98, 106, 111, 113, 114
COMMUNICATION
This is related to social use of language, literacy and other means of communication and how
these help individual to adapt better.
Sequence include 8 items on vocal communication i.e. 1, 10, 17, 31, 34, 44, 79, 91
Five items on writing i.e. 58, 63, 78, 81, 90
2 items on reading i.e. 73, 84
SELF DIRECTION:
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. This is clearly
expressed in handling of money, in looking after of all ones needs etc.
Two series are apparent i.e.
One related to money and purchasing i.e. item 60, 76, 87, 94, 95, 100, 102, 105 and 112
Other dealing with self controlled behavior i.e. Item 83, 93, 97, 99 and 101.
SOCIALIZATION:

Social competence naturally involves social relationships since the expression of individual
adequacy matures in a social setting
Marked series of socialized play and recreation items i.e. 27, 46, 56, 59, 69, 85, 88
Series of social responsibility include 103, 104, 109, 110, 115, and 117
Minor series of interpersonal relations include item 4, 14, 49

SCORING:
Many doubts regarding item interpretation may be resolved by considering items with the
reference to their relative positions in scale. Items should be scored strictly upon
performances of tasks. For scoring, child is asked to perform specific task..
Each item of the schedule is to be scored on a three point scale.

A score of '+1' is to be given to the choice 'always' in the case of positive behavior.

The choice 'sometimes' and other wordings indicating the middle path is to be given a score
of '0.5'.

The last choice which denotes the least expression of positive behavior is to be given a score
of '0'.

FRECUENCY TABLE
Key to categorical arrangement of item:
SHG--- Self-help general

C---Communication

SHD--- Self-help dressing

SD--- Self-direction

SGE--- Self-help eating

S--- Socialization

L---Locomotion
O--- Occupation

Categorie

SHG

SHD

SHE

SD

TOTAL

4-5

1/1

1.5/2

1/1

1/1

1/1

5.5/6

5-6

1/1

0.5/1 1/1

1/1

1/1

4.5/5

6-7

1/2

1/1

1/1

3/4

7-8

0/1

0.5/1

1/1

1.5/2 _

3/5

8-9

1/1

0.5/1 _

1.5/2 _

3/4

9-10

1/1

3/3

s
Age
Period

10-11

1/1

0.5/3

TOTAL

1/2

4/6

3/3

3/6

1/1

0/1

0.5/4

1.5/2 3.5/4 3.5/5 3/3

INTERPRETATIONS
Scoring indicates that child is healthy both in growth and development. Administration of
scale provides evidence that child is capable of taking care of himself responsibly. He
maintains a healthy life style and performs not only according to his age but also a little
above
Self Help General: Child scored 1 out two in self help general category. This shows he is
capable of performing general activities like head holding, telling time to quarter etc.
Self help eating: This caters with child ability to handle his eating patterns and take care of
his nutritional needs. Child gets more independent in terms of feeding.
Child scored three out of three in this category which shows that he is fully able to take care
of his needs related to feeding and can take care of himself
Self Help Dressing: This category indicates child ability to cleanse himself as well as
dressing himself. Child scored four out of 6 in this category which indicates that child is
average in independence of in terms of dressing. Child can dress and undress him but cannot
tie. She can button himself shows her less dependence for assistance

Occupation: Child scored 3.5 out of five which indicates his average skills in carrying out
his general house hold activities. Child takes part in playful activities efficiently but lacks a
bit in carrying out household work
Locomotion: Locomotion involves social movements including going in neighborhood and
other social places. Child scored three out three which shows that child is independent in
locomotion and can be trusted with her locomotion.
Communication: Communication deals with social use and application of language and
other communicative skills including writing and spoken. Child scored three out six which
indicates that although child can use communicative tools in daily life yet he does not have
much command on it. She can copy alphabets and can read but unable to do creative writing
include letter writing etc.
Self Direction: Child scored 1.5 out of two which shows that child takes responsibility and
feels to get free from authority. She cannot be trusted with money but can make minor
purchases.
Socialization: Child scored 3.5 out of four. This indicates that child has developed good
socialization skills. And is continuously developing this skill through paying games with her
peer group.

Bibliography
Doll. (May,1937). The inheritance of Social Competence. The Journal of Heredity.
https://archive.org/stream/measurementofsoc1953doll#page/74/mode/2up