Work

Why We Think We Can't Dance: Theory of Mind and Children's Desire to Perform

Year: 2014

Type: article

Abstract: Theory of mind (ToM) allows children to achieve success in the social world by understanding others' minds. A study with 3- to 12-year-olds, however, demonstrates that gains in ToM are linked to decreases in children's desire to engage in performative behaviors associated with health and well-being, such as singing and dancing. One hundred and fifty-nine middle-class children from diverse backgrounds in a Northeastern U.S. metropolitan area completed the study in 2011. The development of ToM is associated with decreases in self-esteem, which in turn predicts decreases in children's willingness to perform. This shift away from performance begins at age 4 (when ToM begins to develop), years before children enter puberty.

Source: Child Development

DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12314

Authors: Lan Nguyen Chaplin, Michael I Norton

Institutions: University of Illinois Chicago, Harvard University

Language: English

Topic: Child and Animal Learning Development

Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: Harvard Business School, University of Illinois at Chicago