Relations between theory of mind and executive function in middle childhood: A short-term longitudinal study.
J Exp Child Psychol
; 163: 69-86, 2017 11.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-28753436
ABSTRACT
Studies with preschool children have shown significant links between children's executive function (EF) and theory of mind (ToM), but few studies have examined these associations in primary school children. To address this gap, we designed a three-wave cross-lagged longitudinal study in which we followed a group of 113 children (61 boys) across three time points from age 9.5-10.5years (mean age at Time 1=112.3months, SD=4.18; mean age at Time 2=118.3months, SD=4.15; mean age at Time 3=124.7months, SD=4.06). At each time point, we measured EF (working memory and inhibitory control), ToM, and language. Our analyses showed (a) moderate rank-order stability of individual differences in both EF and ToM and (b) growth in ToM task performance across time. Cross-lagged longitudinal analyses revealed an asymmetric developmental relation between ToM and working memory. Early working memory predicted later ToM but not vice versa. Our results suggest a specific role for working memory in the ongoing development of ToM in middle childhood.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Child Development
/
Executive Function
/
Theory of Mind
Type of study:
Observational_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Child, preschool
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
En
Journal:
J Exp Child Psychol
Year:
2017
Document type:
Article