Theory of Mind in Middle Childhood: Longitudinal Associations With Executive Function and Social Competence

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 de...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Developmental psychology 2016-05, Vol.52 (5), p.758-771
Main Authors: Devine, Rory T, White, Naomi, Ensor, Rosie, Hughes, Claire
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age Factors
Birth Order
Child
Child Development - physiology
Childhood
Children
Children & youth
Cognitive ability
Correlation
Executive Function
Executive Function - physiology
Female
Foreign Countries
Human
Humans
Individual Differences
Interpersonal Competence
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Men
Monte Carlo Methods
Neuropsychological Tests
Preschool children
Social Skills
Social Skills Rating System
Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale
Structural Equation Models
Theory of Mind
Theory of Mind - physiology
United Kingdom
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Summary: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.
ISSN:0012-1649
1939-0599
DOI:10.1037/dev0000105