The Effects of Affectionate Contact on Theory of Mind and Mental State Talk in Parent-Child Dyads

Abstract

Theory of mind (ToM) is the understanding that the actions of others are influence by their mental states: desires, emotions, beliefs and intentions.This study tested 46 parent-child dyads with children ages 3.5-4.5 years old to examine the effects of affectionate contact (i.e. cuddling) on parental use of mental state words (words that describe emotions, beliefs and desires) and child ToM task performance. Dyads were placed in one of two conditions, cuddling and no cuddling, while reading a wordless story about a snowman. Children were then instructed through a series of tasks designed to measure their ToM and executive functioning skills, the ability to switch between rules, a foundational skill for ToM development. Results showed that no significant differences were found between conditions on ToM task performance or use of mental state words. Differences amongst conditions on executive functioning task performance began to approach significance. Additionally, a significant positive correlation was found between the use of mental state words and ToM task performance, as well as a significant positive correlation between mental state words and executive functioning task performance.