The first row contains three different shapes (circle, plus, diamond) each surrounded by four dots.
Step 2: Identify the pattern in the second row
The second row contains variations of the shapes from the first row, but they are all star-like shapes with the same number of dots around them.
Step 3: Determine the missing shape in the third column
The third column should follow the same pattern as the first two columns. The first row has a diamond, the second row has a star-like shape derived from the diamond, so the third row should have a square with a diamond inside it, surrounded by four dots.