The ‘‘Reading the Mind in Films’’ Task: A Pilot Study on Complex Emotions and Mental States Recognition for the Italian Adaptation in Adults with and Without Autism Spectrum Conditions

The present pilot study tested and reports the Italian adaptation of the Reading the Mind in Film test (RMF) by Golan et al. (2006) as an ecological test for assessing, in Italian adults with and without Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC), complex emotions and mental states recognition in natural settings and everyday situations. A sample of young adults with Autism Spectrum Condition (with ASC; n=22), attending a filmmaking course at a post diploma school (Scuola Futuro Lavoro) took part in the study and was compared with a control group of neurotypical university students (without ASC; n=22). All participants underwent individual testing and completed the Italian version of the Autism Questionnaire before performing the Italian version of both the RMF task and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET). The latter, widely used to evaluate the ability to detect what someone else is thinking or feeling from the eye region. The findings of the control group were in line with the original study demonstrating the validity and reliability of the translation and the dubbing procedure of the RMF test. However, no significant differences in performance were found between the two groups. Such results are discussed in terms of experience with films and video gained by the ASC group from attending the filmmaking course.