Browsing by Subject "väärä uskomus"

Objectives. Theory of mind is the ability to assign mental states (e.g. beliefs, intentions and desires) to oneself and others as well as to recognise that others have mental states that differ from one's own. Theory of mind helps individuals understand others' minds and interpret and predict their behaviour in relation to their mental states. Thus, it is one of the most important skills for children's social development. Normally developing children are usually able to make inferences about the mental states of other people by 5 years of age. Theory of mind development is associated with e.g. verbal ability, gender, culture and family background. Recent studies indicate that temperament may also have an influence on children's theory of mind. Specifically, a less reactive, more observant temperament seems to enhance theory of mind development. Poor theory of mind may lead to various difficulties in social relationships. Thus, it is important to investigate relations between temperament and theory of mind. The aim of this study was to examine if children's temperament at 9 months and 3 years predicts theory of mind at 5 years of age. Gender differences in the relationship between temperament and theory of mind were also investigated. Method. This study used a sample from the prospective British Millennium Cohort Study. Child temperament was assessed by parental reports at 9 months and 3 years of age. Theory of mind was assessed with a false belief task at 5 years of age. The relations between child temperament and theory of mind were examined using logistic regression (n=8041). Results and conclusions. Child temperament at age 9 months did not predict theory of mind at age 5. However, low hyperactivity and inattention, high independence and self regulation, and high prosocial behaviour at age 3 predicted theory of mind at age 5 after controlling for gender, ethnicity, vocabulary and maternal education. There were no significant gender differences in the relations between temperament and theory of mind. In accord with previous studies, these findings suggest a relation between individual differences in temperament and theory of mind development. Future research is needed to clarify relations between temperament and theory of mind during infancy and early childhood.