The psychometric properties of the Socio-Moral Reflection Measure--Short Form and the Moral Theme Inventory for men with and without intellectual disabilities.
Use SRM-SF, not MTI, for stable moral-reasoning data with adults who have ID.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Smith et al. (2010) tested two paper-and-pencil tools that measure moral thinking in adults.
One group had intellectual disability (ID). A second group had no disability.
Each man filled out the Socio-Moral Reflection Measure–Short Form (SRM-SF) and the Moral Theme Inventory (MTI) twice, two weeks apart.
What they found
Both tools gave steady scores inside each group. Internal consistency was good (alpha above .70).
The SRM-SF held up on the retest. The MTI did not; scores jumped around for the men with ID.
Convergent validity was acceptable; the two tools correlated as expected.
How this fits with other research
Tarasova et al. (2024) also checked a new ID tool (DSQIID-G) and found strong test-retest stability. Their positive retest result highlights how unusual the MTI’s poor stability is.
Nevin et al. (2005) used the DC-LD to add new psychiatric labels to old charts of Irish adults with ID. Like E et al., they showed that careful instruments can sharpen our picture of clients we already serve.
Honigfeld et al. (2012) used the SRS to track social skills in sex-chromosome disorders. They, too, saw that some tools separate groups well but may wobble when the same person takes them twice.
Why it matters
You can trust the SRM-SF to measure moral reasoning in adults with ID. Skip the MTI if you need stable data over time. When you pick any tool, always check retest numbers in the manual; poor repeatability wastes session time and can mislead team decisions.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Drawing conclusions from the literature regarding the moral development of people with intellectual disabilities (IDs) is difficult because of the use of unstandardised and idiosyncratic measures. In order to address this short-coming, a moral reasoning production measure (the Socio-Moral Reflection Measure--Short Form; SRM-SF) and a recognition measure (the Moral Theme Inventory; MTI) were presented to men with and without IDs who had no known history of engaging in illegal behaviour. The instruments were completed on two occasions, separated by a two-week interval, in order to investigate their basic psychometric properties. The results indicated that there was a strong relationship between the MTI and the SRM-SF, suggesting that the MTI has convergent validity. The internal consistency of the MTI and the SRM-SF ranged from moderate to substantial for both men with and without IDs. However, the test-retest reliability of the MTI was poor for men with IDs, while it was good for men without IDs. The test-retest reliability of the SRM-SF was good for both men with and without IDs. Comparison of the moral reasoning abilities of men with and without IDs suggested that many of the differences between the two groups could be accounted for by general intellectual functioning. The exception was overall score on the SRM-SF and moral reasoning in relation to the law, where men with IDs scored at stage 2(1), when intelligence was controlled. The results were interpreted by suggesting that the relationship between moral reasoning and illegal behaviour may take an inverted U curve shape, moderated by intelligence.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2010 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2010.07.025