Hi Tamara,

I wonder if these links will be of interest to you.

http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2009/10/teen-maturity.aspx

Article Testing the reliability and validity of the Risk, Sophistica...

Article Testing the Reliability and Validity of the Risk, Sophistica...

Hi Tamara,

I wonder if these links will be of interest to you.

http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2009/10/teen-maturity.aspx

Article Testing the reliability and validity of the Risk, Sophistica...

Article Testing the Reliability and Validity of the Risk, Sophistica...

Dear Tamara D Allen

please check the resources related to your topic

regards

www.freepatentsonline.com/article/North-American.../173513550.html

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jan.12617/pdf

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02667363.2012.726196

Hi,

Hope the attached articles will add to your literature.

regards

Article Toward a consensus definition of pathological video-gaming: ...

Article Psychometric properties of self-sufficiency assessment tools...

Thank you all so very much for the resources. All are very helpful.

Hi Tamara

You are looking for psychometric tools to measure maturity in adolescents

Before looking for psychometric tools to measure maturity in adolescents, I think that you should be aware that maturity is a broad concept.  As I see it, maturity in children, adolescents and adults, and even the elderly can be seen in terms of several types of decentration. As a developmental psychologist, I conceive of the process of development as a successive process of decentration, that is, a process of differentiation and integration of different dimensions, perspectives, viewpoints, and the like. Thus, adolescents’ maturity can the seen in term of:  

(1) Intellectual decentration -- i.e. to be capable of going beyond the perceptual features of a given task and taking into account its inferential features (e.g., to understand that the number of elements in a set remains constant despite their spatial configuration in the set at hand; to be capable of understanding, for example, that “ If p, then q”. “Not p is the case”. “Hence, nothing can be conclude about q”). There are many intellectual tests to assess adolescents’ intellectual or cognitive maturity (e.g., WAIS). Piaget’s tasks, not tests (e.g., the pendulum task), are theoretically more grounded than mental tests or scales, and are excellent tools to assess adolescents’ intellectual or cognitive maturity. Note that I say to assess, not to measure. Contrary to what happens, for example, in Physics, in Psychology, we never attain a true level of measure. Suffice it to say that a given score in WAIS, 120, for instance, can be got by answering differently to the several items that the scale contains. I even think that to speak about measure in psychology gives us an illusion of rigor more than a true rigor. This illusion of rigor underlies much psychological writing and publishing and is greatly responsible for what P. Meehl (1978) called, in his seminal article published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, the “slow progress of soft psychology”. This Meehl’s observation makes me think of Wittgenstein’s astute remark that in psychology there are experimental methods, but conceptual confusion (see his Philosophical Investigations). Note that, contrary to developmental tasks, such as the Piagetian tasks, scales. questionnaires and mental tests are referred to a continuous and quantitative norm – that is, the individual’s performance in such scales, tests, or questionnaires  is generally compared, for example, to that of older, younger, or the same age, gender or  ethnicity  individuals as the individual being tested -- not to a discontinuous, qualitative criterion, that is, such performance is not compared to that of other individuals, but rather compared with other qualitative forms of such performance. WAIS’s test is a typical example of a scale referred to a norm. When the individual’s performance in Piagetian developmental tasks is classified as sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational we are referring to a developmental criterion, not to a psychometric norm. Note also that when performing in a scale/questionnaire, and the like, individuals are not asked to justify their answers, which hinders our understanding of the psychological processes underlying those answers. As far as I know, it is difficult to relate a significant psychological finding, hypothesis, theory, and the like, to a given scale, questionnaire, and the like. Freud’s original theory of sexuality, Skinner’s seminal theory of learning, and Piaget’s innovative approach to one’s cognitive and moral development are only three examples in which progress in psychology had nothing to do with psychological scales, tests, questionnaires, and so forth. These my considerations about one’s, and hence, adolescents’ intellectual maturity can be applied the other forms of decentration mentioned below.

 2) Moral decentration -- i.e. to be capable, in a situation of moral conflict and choice, of going beyond personal interests, legal laws and moral norms, and taking into account reversible and universalizable moral rules and principles, such as the principle of justice and  the golden rule. Kohlberg’s interview [see Colby, A., & Kohlberg, L. (1987)] is an excellent, albeit difficult and complex tool to assess adolescents’ moral development and maturity. The DIT 1 or the DIT 2 by James Rest is a psychometric questionnaire or test to assess in a relatively easy way adolescents’ moral maturity or development.   

(3) Social decentration -- i.e. to be capable of seeing other people not only in physical terms, but also as psychological, complex systems or as individuals who are able to play different roles in their everyday life. Robert Selman (1980) book on the growth of interpersonal understanding gives you an idea of how to assess through a semi-clinical interview a la Piaget adolescents’ maturity or capacity for interpersonal understanding and perspective taking. I do not know of any psychometric test based on Selman’s theory of interpersonal understanding. Of course, you can appeal to one of the many scales whose purpose is to assess adolescents’ social skills and maturity.  

(4) Emotional decentration -- i.e. to be able to understand, for example, that one can be disappointed while the others can be satisfied. Robert Kegan (1982) book on ego development describes several levels of emotional decentration. With basis on Kegan’s book you could appeal to a semi-clinical interview to assess adolescents’ emotional maturity and development. I know of no psychometric test or scale guided by the seminal work of R. Kegan on emotional maturity, development, and decentration.  

(5) Epistemological decentration -- i.e. to be capable of seeing, for example,  that any scientific theory (e.g. geocentric theory) is doomed to be replaced by a more progressive research program (e.g., heliocentric theory). William Perry (1970) wrote an excellent book on forms of intellectual and ethical development in the colleague years. He distinguishes, for example, four main levels of epistemological maturity: Dualism, Multiplicity, Relativism and Commitment. He assessed these main levels of epistemological maturity (positions) through a semi-clinical interview. So, you can learn a lot from reading his book. It is likely that you have already read that book. As far as I know, there is no psychometric test based on Perry’s cogent ideas on one’s epistemological development, maturity and decentration.  

(6) Aesthetic decentration -- i.e. to be able to understand that the beautiful is not only what we like. Have you heard of M. Parsons (1987) book on aesthetical development? In this book, M. Parsons speaks about five stages on the way we understand art. This books gives you an idea of adolescents’ aesthetical maturity and development. As is often the case, such stages of artistic development were conceptualized on the basis of a semi-clinic interview, not on the basis of any psychometric test. I also ignore if there is a psychometric test, scale, questionnaire and the like to assess one’s aesthetic maturity. Be that as it may, note that the true, the good, and the beautiful are universal categories, regardless of how they are understood in different times and at different places. This means that adolescents’ maturity has to take into account, at least, their intellectual, moral, and aesthetical maturity and development.     

(7) Moral-ecological decentration -- i.e. to be able to understand that we should respect nature not only because of its usefulness for us (anthropocentric reasoning) but also because it deserves to be respected in itself (biocentric reasoning). Peter Kahn has written a lot about our relation with nature, and was able to distinguish these two types of moral-ecological reasoning and maturity. Once again, I know of no psychometric test, scale or questionnaire to assess adolescents’ moral-ecological maturity and development.   

All that said, if you want to have a relatively accurate picture of adolescents’ maturity, the picture should, from an ideal point of view, take into account the above mentioned seven types of maturity, development, and decentration.  I understand well that you, as well as many other Research Gate authors look for psychometric tests, scales, questionnaires, and the like, to assess this, that, and so forth.

Generally, it is easier and less time consuming to appeal to a psychometric, standardized tool than to an in-depth clinical or even semi-clinical interview. You should also be aware than when the former is the case, you are following a shortcut, not a demanding track. In this vein it is worth mentioned that it is said that Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), king of Macedonia, once asked his tutor, the Geek geometer Menaechmus (380- 320 BC), to teach him a shortcut to mastery of geometry. Menaechmus is alleged to have replied that for traveling through Alexander's country there were royal roads and roads for common citizens, but in geometry there is only one road, and this (difficult) road is the same for all people. This means that in order to get an accurate picture of adolescents’ maturity you and us all have to follow a demanding track and process, not a shortcut.

 I hope that I have got your question and that this helps

 Best regards    

Hi to all, 

Having read the answers to the root question, I would say that I am more in favour of the approach of Orlando M Lourenço. I agree that maturity is a broad term and there are as many maturities (sic) as there are domains of development. And, as a developmental psychologist, I could say that there are many domains of development!

So, which of these are relevant to the intended research? A literature review may provide examples of answers to this topic. 

Best regards