Family Correlates of False Belief Understanding in Early Childhood: A Meta-Analysis

This meta-analysis seeks to integrate findings from 25 years of research on family correlates of young children's false belief understanding (FBU). Using data from 93 studies of 3- to 7-year-old children, we examined the correlations between FBU and four of the most widely studied family factor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Child development 2018-05, Vol.89 (3), p.971-987
Main Authors: Devine, Rory T., Hughes, Claire
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age Factors
Child
Child Development
Child, Preschool
Childhood
Children
Comprehension
EMPIRICAL ARTICLES
False belief
Family
Female
Humans
Individual differences
Male
Mental states
Meta-analysis
Parents & parenting
Sex Factors
Siblings
Social Class
Socioeconomic status
Systematic review
Theory of Mind
Verbal ability
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Summary:This meta-analysis seeks to integrate findings from 25 years of research on family correlates of young children's false belief understanding (FBU). Using data from 93 studies of 3- to 7-year-old children, we examined the correlations between FBU and four of the most widely studied family factors: parental socioeconomic status, number of siblings, parental mental-state talk, and mind-mindedness. FBU exhibited modest associations with each family variable and these associations held even when individual differences in verbal ability were taken into account. Moderator analyses revealed key child-related factors (e.g., age, gender) as well as methodological factors that amplified or attenuated the relations between FBU and each family variable. Crucially, available longitudinal data highlight the importance of family factors in the development of FBU.
ISSN:0009-3920
1467-8624
DOI:10.1111/cdev.12682