Theory of mind in Portuguese school children: An exploratory study

Abstract

Introduction and objectivesTheory of mind (ToM) has been studied as well as children's mental states in relation to their everyday behaviour and is indispensable for skilled communication. Considering the importance of measuring ToM in school children, the aim of this exploratory investigation was to apply a preliminary Portuguese version of the ToM Picture Stories Task in a sample of school children aged from 6 to 8 years and to analyze the impact of individual differences (e.g. gender, parent's age, educational level, number of siblings) on task performance. PurposeThis article analyses ToM performance in a sample of 103 Portuguese school children in a public school. MethodTwo stories of the ToM Pictures Sequencing Task were used to assess ToM competence in a sample of 103 participants (54 females and 49 males) aged from 6 to 8 years. Individual differences (e.g., gender, number of siblings, parents educational levels and age) were also considered. ResultsThe results showed good performances in story 1, but not as good in story 2. Positive correlations were found between age and year of schooling and performance in ToM tasks. ConclusionFuture research is needed regarding the influence of cognitive and linguistic skills in high-order ToM skills in school children.