Theory of Mind in Middle Childhood: Longitudinal Associations With Executive Function and Social Competence
Theory of Mind in Middle Childhood: Longitudinal Associations With Executive Function and Social Competence
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DOI：
10.1037/dev0000105
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发表时间：
2016-05-01
影响因子：
4
通讯作者：
Hughes, Claire
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Devine, Rory T.;White, Naomi;Hughes, Claire
绝大多数关于心理理论的研究都集中在学龄前阶段。扩展TOM研究的发展范围为重新评估TOM的理论描述和检验其预测效用提供了机会。这项纵向研究的双重目的是考察儿童中期心理理论、执行功能(EF)和教师评定的社会能力之间的发展关系。对137名儿童(69名男性)进行了为期4年的童年中期跟踪调查(第一波和第二波的M年龄分别为6.05SD=0.35和10.81SD=0.35)。在整个童年中期，汤姆的个体差异是适度稳定的。尽管在这两个时间点，TOM和EF之间同时存在关联，但这些结构之间没有纵向联系。相反，心理理论和教师评价的社会能力之间存在同步的和纵向的联系，因此，心理理论的个体差异可以预测日后在学校的社会能力。这些结果是根据关于TOM和EF之间的联系以及TOM的个体差异对儿童社交生活的重要性的相互竞争的理论来讨论的。
The vast majority of studies on theory of mind (ToM) have focused on the preschool years. Extending the developmental scope of ToM research presents opportunities to both reassess theoretical accounts of ToM and test its predictive utility. The twin aims of this longitudinal study were to examine developmental relations between ToM, executive function (EF), and teacher-rated social competence in middle childhood. One hundred thirty-seven children (69 males) were followed across a 4-year period spanning middle childhood (M ages at Waves 1 and 2 = 6.05, SD = .35, and 10.81, SD = .35, respectively). Individual differences in ToM were moderately stable across middle childhood. Although there were concurrent associations between ToM and EF at both time points, there were no longitudinal links between these constructs. In contrast, there were concurrent and longitudinal links between ToM and teacher-rated social competence, such that individual differences in ToM predicted later social competence at school. These results are discussed in light of competing theories about the links between ToM and EF and the importance of individual differences in ToM for children's social lives.