About
Online Social Identity Mapping is a psychometrically validated tool designed by the SIGN team at The University of Queensland. You can visit the SIGN website here. It was originally designed as a way to articulate and measure the multi-dimensional nature of social connectedness, and has been informed by decades of scientific evidence from a social psychological perspective known as the Social Identity Approach.
Validation of the social identity mapping process
Validation of the social identity mapping process was first undertaken using the paper and post-it version, and results from this validation process were published in 2016. Data from these three studies involving clinical, community, and student populations, and results confirmed that the process performed well psychometrically, and that that social identity mapping could be used to address a range of novel research questions.
More recently, social identity mapping was adapted to be an online process, and as such undertook another extensive validation process, this time with four studies, again covering a range of populations, from new parents to retirees. This validation study was published in 2020, and results again confirmed the high psychometric qualities of the tool, with data particularly highlighting oSIM's ability to predict a range of outcomes over time, from resilience, to well-being and more.
Data from both of these validation process has consistently demonstrated that oSIM participants rate the process as easy, engaging, and insightful.
oSIM today
This latest digital iteration of oSIM represents a more fine-tuned version of the tool, from which there are a whole host of new research possibilities, as well as a wide range of possible deployments of the tool in organisational settings, educational domains, or clinical contexts, and more.
oSIM can be integrated into other platforms, such as the survey platform Qualtrics, or it can be deployed as a stand-alone measurement tool or intervention. It is scalable, and can be delivered to thousands of participants at the click of a button. Or it can be deployed in one-on-one, or group practioner settings.
When it comes to research, oSIM can be embedded within other measurement processes
All information about oSIM, such as how to use it, how to integrate into other platforms, how to download data, as well as recommedations for research designs, is covered in the oSIM Manual. If you would like to license oSIM, please click here for more information.