Theory of mind development in impoverished U.S. children and six cross-cultural comparisons

Abstract

Prior literature demonstrates a reliable progression of ToM development during early childhood; however, cross-cultural studies have found a different progression of ToM development, and few studies have investigated whether this progression is generalizable to children in poverty. The current study examined ToM development in 106 3- to 5-year-old children enrolled in urban, low-income preschool programs in the U.S. Children completed a 5-task ToM battery. Parents provided family demographic information. Results demonstrated that economically disadvantaged preschool children do not develop ToM capacities in the same sequence as their affluent peers. Comparisons were then made with six samples reported in previous studies; children here showed a difference in age of mastery for some, but not all, aspects of ToM, compared with affluent U.S. children, and moreover show greater similarity with low-income children worldwide. These findings add to our understanding of specific environmental influences on ToM development in early childhood.