Theory of Mind Research & Children

LIB GUIDE

This is an introductory, academic RESEARCH guide

It can facilitate an initial investigation or support an undergraduate research paper on Theory of Mind research with children.

It was created:

  • For students of social sciences or psychology, providing access to a general overview of Theory of Mind research with children.

  • For children’s librarians, providing empirical research data and perspective for understanding and anticipating a child’s mindset and needs at different life stages.

OVERVIEW

Simplypsychology.org reports that Theory of Mind “is the ability to attribute mental states to ourselves and others, serving as one of the foundational elements for social interaction.”

Theory of Mind research with children investigates and evaluates a child’s acquisition of the skills to understand the beliefs, emotions, and intentions of others. According to Cindy Beaudoin, et. al. in “Systematic Review and Inventory of Theory of Mind Measures for Young Children,” Theory of Mind is viewed as an ability to infer mental states to the self and others. The skill is an integral part of social development, and it supports a sense of community across a lifespan.

This Lib Guide provides resources to understand Theory of Mind research with children and Theory of Mind development in children. It excludes resources and studies that focus on injuries, diseases, disorders, trauma, cross-cultural experiences, and gender-identity research. This was done to help facilitate the development of a foundation or baseline of understanding Theory of Mind in children.

Online

  • The theory of mind test – April 25, 2011

    This video developed by The Globe and Mail.com Shows Theory of Mind Researcher Kadria Simons talking children through a Theory of Mind Test, evaluating how and when children being to understand the thoughts and feelings of others.

  • The Hanen Center

    The Hanen Center is a Canadian charitable organization committed to helping children develop language, social and literacy skills. The 35-year-old organization develops programs and trainings for parents and specialists who help to teach children these skills.

    Frontiers Science News

    The Frontiers in Science Journal publishes many Theory of Mind research and journal articles and e-books. This page brings together the latest news in psychology. Life science, neuroscience, and more in an engaging news blog.

  • The American Psychiatric Association (APA) Dictionary of Terms

    This dictionary of 25,000 entries is Produced by the leading scientific professional organization for Psychology in the United States. Users can search and select entries from the resulting list or Browse terms A to Z.

    Psychology Dictionary.Org

    A dictionary of over 20,000 terms, developed by psychology master’s ad Ph.D. students. The dictionary is a free, trusted, expert source of definitions for psychology terms and health topics, Both search bar and alphabetic listing are available.

    Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

    The encyclopedia provides peer-reviewed, detailed information on philosophy and related topics, all written by experts with the intention to be understandable by new students. There is a staff of 30 editors and approximately 300 global credentialed, expert authors. Users can browse by topic or A to Z terms

  • PubMed

    A searchable, open-source database of biomedical literature managed by the National Institutes for Health, including MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books.

    ERIC database of journals

    The ERIC database is published by Education.gov and The Institute of Education Sciences. It facilitates the search of peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed journals and journal articles via a standard search bar. Search results offer additional metadata that many academic sources don’t have, providing the intended audience of the work; laws, policies, programs tied to the work; a listing of assessment standards used, and a “What Works Clearinghouse” rating.

  • Cognition

    According to their website, “Cognition is an international journal that publishes theoretical and experimental papers on the study of the mind. It covers a wide variety of subjects concerning all the different aspects of cognition, ranging from biological and experimental studies to formal analysis.”

    Frontiers in psychology

    Frontiers in Psychology report that they are “the largest journal in its field, publishing rigorously peer-reviewed research across the psychological sciences, from clinical research to cognitive science, from perception to consciousness, from imaging studies to human factors, and from animal cognition to social psychology.”

    PLOS ONE

    PLOS One journal seeks to advance science for the benefit of society, according to their website. They are an open-access, peer-reviewed journal that publishes multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary research in over 200 subject areas, including Theory of Mind research.

  • Open-Source, Free

    Marchetti, A. & Baglio, F. (2017). When (and how) theory of mind is useful? Evidences from research in the lifespan. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/3114/when-and-how-theory-of-mind-is-useful-evidences-from-research-in-the-life-span

    This Frontiers Research E-book on Theory of Mind includes a brief overview of Theory of Mind and 22 peer-reviewed articles, organized into five sections. It was edited by two Italian researchers, who also provided an editorial and co-authored two of the papers. A broad range of Theory of Mind research is covered. According to the introduction, topic issues “are collections of at least ten articles, all centered on a particular subject. With their unique mix of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Frontiers Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings, and historical advances in a hot research area!” (Marchetti, A. & Baglio, F., 2017, p. 1). The following articles in this E-book relate to research with children and align with the focus of this guide:

    • Bellagamba, F., Addessi, E., Focaroli, V., Pecora, G., Maggiorelli, V., Pace, B., & Paglieri, F. (2015). False belief understanding and “cool” inhibitory control in 3-and 4-years-old Italian children. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 872.

    • Brizio, A., Gabbatore, I., Tirassa, M., & Bosco, F. M. (2015). “No more a child, not yet an adult”: studying social cognition in adolescence. Frontiers in psychology, 6, 1011.

    • Dore, R. A., Smith, E. D., & Lillard, A. S. (2015). How is theory of mind useful? Perhaps to enable social pretend play. Frontiers in Psychology, 1559.

    • Gilli, G. M., Ruggi, S., Gatti, M., & Freeman, N. H. (2016). How children’s mentalistic theory widens their conception of pictorial possibilities. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 177.

    • Muller, N., & Midgley, N. (2015). Approaches to assessment in time-limited Mentalization-Based Therapy for Children (MBT-C). Frontiers in psychology, 6, 1063.

    • Pelletier, J., & Beatty, R. (2015). Children’s understanding of Aesop’s fables: relations to reading comprehension and theory of mind. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1448.

    • Rosso, A. M., Viterbori, P., & Scopesi, A. M. (2015). Are maternal reflective functioning and attachment security associated with preadolescent mentalization?. Frontiers in psychology, 6, 1134.

    Fee-based E-Books

    Farber, M. (2021). Gaming Literacy and Its Potential for Teaching Social and Emotional Learning to Adolescent Children. In Handbook of Research on Supporting Social and Emotional Development Through Literacy Education (pp. 1-25). IGI Global. https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/gaming-literacy-and-its-potential-for-teaching-social-and-emotional-learning-to-adolescent-children/282385; On-demand download: $37.50

    Schweiger, G., Graf, G., Michalska, A., Hanagarth, S., & Adamski, P. C. (2015). The well-being of children: philosophical and social scientific approaches (Schweiger, G. Graf, A. Michalska, S. Hanagarth, & P. C. Adamski, Eds.). De Gruyter Open. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110450521 or https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110450521/html?lang=en; On-demand download: $121.99

    Wiley & Sons, Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.617 or https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203929902/theory-mind-martin-doherty. On-line download: $39.96

Peer-Reviewed Articles

These articles come from University of Southern Mississippi Cook Library Online Databases, as well as Google Scholar. They were validated for high citation rates and highly published authorship using the Web of Science database and bibliometrics.

General Theory of Mind

Beaudoin, C., Leblanc, É., Gagner, C., & Beauchamp, M. H. (2020). Systematic Review and Inventory of Theory of Mind Measures for Young Children. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 2905. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02905 or https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02905/full

Byom, L. J., & Mutlu, B. (2013). Theory of mind: mechanisms, methods, and new directions. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 7, 413. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00413 or https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3737477

Ruhl, C. (2020, August 7). Theory of mind. Study Guides for Psychology Students - Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/theory-of-mind.html

Early childhood

Arienti, G. (2015, August 14). Theory of mind: A new perspective on the puzzle of belief ascription. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01184/full. This paper seeks to formulate an explanation for conflicting research results in other studies related to false belief tasks. Children as young as 15 months have proven to pass false belief tasks, yet most research claims that the skill to determine another’s belief as true versus false happens at age 4. Another study experienced children aged 3 failing at the task. The author believes the task is perceived in different ways by children of different ages.

Király, I., Oláh, K., Csibra, G., & Kovács, Á. M. (2018). Retrospective attribution of false beliefs in 3-year-old children. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 115(45), 11477–11482. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1803505115 or https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1803505115. This paper researches a child’s ability to track and attribute the false beliefs of others after being shown the event and the contrary evidence after the fact. The study worked with 18-36-month-old children. According to the authors, children at this age can compute beliefs retrospectively, and “The finding shows that emerging capacities for episodic memory contribute to the development of social cognitive processes, enriching children’s ability to monitor others’ mental states.”

Priewasser, B., Rafetseder, E., Gargitter, C., & Perner, J. (2018). Helping as an early indicator of a theory of mind: Mentalism or Teleology?. Cognitive Development, 46, 69-78. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0885201417300370. This paper replicates the research approach taken in previously unreplicated foundational research study (Buttleman, et. al., 2009) and questions its findings. It researches and discusses the type of motivation children have for helping behaviors: Is it an acquired belief, a part of playing with another (shared experience), a natural desire, or an intention? Theory of Mind discussions includes whether the research subjects are motivated to anticipate the mind of others as a motivation for helping or whether they are motivated for other reasons.

Middle childhood

Blijd-Hoogewys, E.M.A., van Geert, P.L.C., Serra, M. et al. Measuring Theory of Mind in Children. Psychometric Properties of the ToM Storybooks. J Autism Dev Discord 38, 1907–1930 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-008-0585-3; https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-008-0585-3#citeas

Lillard, A.S. (1996), Body or Mind: Children's Categorizing of Pretense. Child Development, 67: 1717-1734. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1996.tb01823.x

Osterhaus, C. and Koerber, S. (2021), The Development of Advanced Theory of Mind in Middle Childhood: A Longitudinal Study From Age 5 to 10 Years. Child Dev, 92: 1872-1888. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13627; https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/showCitFormats?doi=10.1111%2Fcdev.13627

Osterhaus, C., Koerber, S. and Sodian, B. (2016), Scaling of Advanced Theory-of-Mind Tasks. Child Dev, 87: 1971-1991. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.1256

Shapiro, L., & Stolz, S. A. (2019). Embodied cognition and its significance for education. Theory and Research in Education, 17(1), 19-39. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1477878518822149

Longitudinal studies

Hay, D.F., Paine, A.L., Perra, O., Cook, K.V., Hashmi, S., Robinson, C., Kairis, V. and Slade, R. (2021), Prosocial and Aggressive Behavior: A Longitudinal Study. Monographs Society Res Child, 86: 7-103. https://doi.org/10.1111/mono.12427;

https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mono.12427

Osterhaus, C. and Koerber, S. (2021), The Development of Advanced Theory of Mind in Middle Childhood: A Longitudinal Study From Age 5 to 10 Years. Child Dev, 92: 1872-1888. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13627; https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/showCitFormats?doi=10.1111%2Fcdev.13627

Print

  • Benson, J. B. (2008). Encyclopedia of infant and early childhood development: R-Z; Index. This source is comprehensive, three-volume set that discusses normal child development, including perspectives from psychology, genetics, neuroscience, and sociology, as well as theoretical, applied, and basic science studies and topics.

    Doherty, M. (2008). Theory of mind: How children understand others' thoughts and feelings. psychology press. Hove, UK, 2008. pp. 264. Price: £17.50. ISBN 978-1-84169-571-6. This book provides a comprehensive overview of 25 years of research, exploring the relevance and development of Theory of Mind in children. It includes a discussion of the role of pretend play, eye direction, development of mental states and concepts, and provides a light discussion of autism.

    Gopnik, A., & Meltzoff, A. N. (1994). Minds, bodies, and persons: Young children's understanding of the self and others as reflected in imitation and theory of mind research.

    Parker, S. T., Mitchell, R.W., & Boccia, M.L. (Eds.), Self-awareness in animals and humans: Developmental perspectives (pp. 166–186). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511565526.012

Peer-Reviewed Articles

These articles come from University of Southern Mississippi Cook Library Online Databases, as well as Google Scholar. They were validated for high citation rates and highly published authorship using the Web of Science database and bibliometrics.

Online access was not possible on the date of the research guide development. It’s recommended that students, researchers, and librarians seek printed journals to gain access to this content.

General Theory of Mind

Hughes, C., Devine, R. T., & Wang, Z. (2018). Does Parental Mind-Mindedness Account for Cross-Cultural Differences in Preschoolers' Theory of Mind? Child development, 89(4), 1296–1310. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12746


Early Childhood

Samson, & Apperly, I. A. (2010). There is more to mind reading than having theory of mind concepts: new directions in theory of mind research. Infant and Child Development, 19(4), 443–454. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.678

Vinden, P.G. (1996), Junin Quechua Children's Understanding of Mind. Child Development, 67: 1707-1716. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1996.tb01822.x 

Wellman, H.M. and Liu, D. (2004), Scaling of Theory-of-Mind Tasks. Child Development, 75: 523-541. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2004.00691.x

Wellman, H.M. and Hickling, A.K. (1994), The Mind's “I”: Children's Conception of the Mind as an Active Agent. Child Development, 65: 1564-1580. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1994.tb00836.x


Middle Childhood

Bianco, F. and Lecce, S. (2016), Translating child development research into practice: Can teachers foster children's theory of mind in primary school?. Br J Educ Psychol, 86: 592-605. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12125

Devine, & Hughes, C. (2013). Silent Films and Strange Stories: Theory of Mind, Gender, and Social Experiences in Middle Childhood. Child Development, 84(3), 989–1003. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12017


Comparison Studies 

Smogorzewska, J., Szumski, G., & Grygiel, P. (2018). Same or different? Theory of mind among children with and without disabilities. PloS One, 13(10), e0202553–e0202553. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0202553


Longitudinal Studies

Eisenberg, N., Guthrie, I.K., Murphy, B.C., Shepard, S.A., Cumberland, A. and Carlo, G. (1999), Consistency and Development of Prosocial Dispositions: A Longitudinal Study. Child Development, 70: 1360-1372. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00100

Kidd, D., Ongis, M., & Castano, E. (2016). On literary fiction and its effects on Theory of Mind. Scientific Study of Literature, 6(1), 42-58. https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/ssol.6.1.04kid

  • References

    About. (n.d.). Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy | An encyclopedia of philosophy articles written by professional philosophers. https://iep.utm.edu/home/about/

    About PsychologyDictionary.org. (2017, July 7). Psychology Dictionary. https://psychologydictionary.org/about/

    (n.d.). APA Dictionary of Psychology. https://dictionary.apa.org/

    APA PsycNet. (n.d.). APA PsycNet. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1999-03307-006Cognition. (n.d.). https://www.journals.elsevier.com/cognition

    Elsevier. (n.d.). Encyclopedia of infant and early childhood development. Elsevier | An Information Analytics Business. https://www.elsevier.com/books/encyclopedia-of-infant-and-early-childhood-development/benson/978-0-12-816512-6?format=print&utm_source=google_ads&utm_medium=paid_search&utm_campaign=usdsa&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6pOTBhCTARIsAHF23fL6FNpQvr-xbOuq2Z0cLPps8nsfzEZsOO9AkPVFpq4DhxWT3frACTMaAnVAEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

    Frontiers in psychology. (n.d.). Frontiers | Peer Reviewed Articles - Open Access Journals. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology

    The Globe and Mail.com. (2011, April 25). The Theory of Mind Test [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGSj2zY2OEM

    (n.d.). Google Scholar. https://scholar.google.com/

    Home Page with Search. (n.d.). PubMed Database. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

    PLOS ONE: Accelerating the publication of peer-reviewed science. (n.d.). PLOS. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/static/publish

    Ruhl, C. (2020, August 7). Theory of mind. Study Guides for Psychology Students - Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/theory-of-mind.html

    (n.d.). Web of Science. https://www-webofscience-com.lynx.lib.usm.edu/wos/woscc/basic-search

    Theory of mind: How children understand others' thoughts and feelings. (2008, August 18). Routledge & CRC Press. https://www.routledge.com/Theory-of-Mind-How-Children-Understand-Others-Thoughts-and-Feelings/Doherty/p/book/9781841695716

    Theory of mind. (n.d.). ScienceDirect.com | Science, health and medical journals, full text articles and books. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123708779001638