Theory of mind in preschool children and its relationship with social maturity

Abstract

Introduction Theory of mind (ToM) is the intuitive understanding of one's own and other people's minds or mental states – including thoughts, beliefs, perceptions, knowledge, intentions, desires, and emotions – and of how those mental states influence behavior. Theory of mind is an innate human ability that is sometimes called intuitive psychology, folk psychology, or even mind reading. Social maturity is the process of appropriate attitudes for personal, interpersonal and social adequacies of an individual, which are essential for functioning effectively in the society. According to the findings, there were not statistically significant relationship between theory of mind and social maturity and there is a need for more research in this area. Objective The objective of this study is to survey preschool children's theory of mind and its relationship with social maturity. Method Research method is correlational research and sample included 30 children between 5–6 years old. In this study, theory of mind test and Vineland social maturity scale were used. Results The results showed that 5- and 6-years-old children's performance in third-level theory of mind had significant difference and in first and second level theory of mind had no significant difference. The findings also showed that there was no relationship between theory of mind and social maturity in preschool children. Conclusion According to the findings, there was no statistically significant relationship between theory of mind and social maturity and there is a need for more research in this area.