Walking a Mile in Simulated Shoes : Development of an Assessment of Perspective Taking

Success in today’s global environment is often contingent on one’s ability to effectively navigate culturally complex situations. This ability, referred to as cross-cultural competence (3C), is actually a constellation of abilities that enables individuals to adapt to a wide range of interpersonal contexts. Despite the importance of 3C, adequate measurement of 3C is lacking and often overly reliant on self-evaluation, which can be inherently biased or unreliable. As a result, other methods by which 3C can be more validly assessed are being explored. This project focuses on one such method, namely, a game-based assessment of perspective taking. Perspective taking, a critical sub-facet of 3C, is a socialemotional skill that enables individuals to consider another’s point of view. In cultural contexts, perspective taking is particularly important, as it not only facilitates awareness of how cultural norms influence behavior, but also allows for more accurate prediction of behavior in future situations. The simulation described here takes place on an alien planet and requires players to complete several quests in service of a larger game goal. Each of the quests require players to learn about the planet’s culture and use what they’ve learned, along with their perspective taking skills, to achieve quest goals. Players’ skill levels are inferred from the decisions they make and the amount of feedback they require to successfully complete each quest. The presentation will focus on the theoretical foundation for the game’s development, as well as address the operationalization of the construct, game design, learning objectives, and scoring criteria.