Validity and reliability study of the Short Form of the Facial Expression Identification Test (FEXIT-SF) with intensity sub-dimension

This study aimed to develop a 42-item short form of the Facial Expression Identification Test (FEXIT-SF) for the Turkish population and examine its psychometric properties, including "emotional intensity" sub-dimension. The sample comprised 807 Turkish adults (54% female, mean age = 35.94, SD = 12.96, range 18–71). Participants completed the FEXIT-SF, Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, Toronto Empathy Questionnaire, Tromso Social Intelligence Scale, and Brief Symptom Inventory. Construct validity was assessed via exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability was evaluated using KR-20, Cronbach's alpha, split-half, and test-retest methods. As a result of the exploratory factor analysis, a structure corresponding to the six basic emotions was obtained, with 69% of the variance explained in the recognition dimension and 62% in the emotional intensity dimension. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated good model fit (recognition: χ²(798) = 1218.569, p < 0.001; CFI = 0.97, RMSEA = 0.027; intensity: χ²(798) = 2136.702, p < 0.001; CFI = 0.91, RMSEA = 0.046). The internal consistency coefficients of the scale were found to be KR-20 = 0.90 for the “recognition total” and α = 0.95 for the “intensity total.” Test-retest correlations were found ranging 0.22–0.71 for recognition and 0.48–0.75 for intensity. The FEXIT-SF showed significant positive correlations with the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (r = 0.60, p < .001), empathy (r = 0.43, p < .001), and social intelligence (r = 0.30, p < .001). Both recognition and intensity scores negatively predicted depression, anxiety, somatization, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (p < .05). Women scored higher than men in recognizing the emotions of disgust, anger, and surprise, and perceived anger intensity as higher. Overall, the FEXIT-SF was found to be a culturally representative, valid, and reliable emotion recognition measurement tool for Turkish adults.