Work

Mind-Mindedness and Theory of Mind: Mediating Roles of Language and Perspectival Symbolic Play

Year: 2013

Type: article

Abstract: Relations among indices of maternal mind-mindedness (appropriate and nonattuned mind-related comments) and children's: (a) internal state vocabulary and perspectival symbolic play at 26 months (N = 206), and (b) theory of mind (ToM) at 51 months (n = 161) were investigated. Appropriate comments were positively associated with ToM, but were unrelated to internal state language and perspectival symbolic play. Nonattuned comments were negatively correlated with internal state language and perspectival symbolic play, but were unrelated to ToM. Path analyses indicated that the best fit model assumed: (a) indirect links between nonattuned comments and ToM via children's perspectival symbolic play, (b) a direct link between appropriate comments and ToM, and (c) an indirect link between appropriate comments and ToM via children's concurrent receptive verbal ability.

Source: Child Development

DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12061

Authors: Elizabeth Meins, Charles Fernyhough, Bronia Arnott, Susan R Leekam, Marc de Rosnay

Institutions: Durham University, Cardiff University, The University of Sydney

Language: English

Topic: Child and Animal Learning Development

Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Award: G3828821728