ERIC Number: EJ1175118
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Apr
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0012-1649
EISSN: N/A
Variety in Parental Use of "Want" Relates to Subsequent Growth in Children's Theory of Mind
Ruffman, Ted; Puri, Aastha; Galloway, Olivia; Su, Japher; Taumoepeau, Mele
Developmental Psychology, v54 n4 p677-688 Apr 2018
In 2 cross-lagged, longitudinal studies we contrasted parental talk about want in a single context versus multiple contexts. Study 1 examined thirty-two 2 year olds, with mothers describing pictures to children. Mothers could use want in zero, one, or multiple contexts. Children whose mothers used want in multiple contexts experienced a significantly larger gain in mental state terms over a 6-month period. Study 2 examined 50 preschoolers, measuring theory of mind (ToM) with tasks and mental state terms, then had parents intervene by reading booklets in which want was used in 1 or multiple contexts. Over a 6-week period, the latter group made larger gains in ToM. We posit that maternal use of want in multiple contexts assists understanding that want refers to an underlying mental state rather than a single behavior.
Descriptors: Theory of Mind, Longitudinal Studies, Scaffolding (Teaching Technique), Parents, Toddlers, Preschool Children, Infants, Mothers, Parent Child Relationship, Correlation, Vocabulary, Perspective Taking, Pictorial Stimuli, Intervention, Foreign Countries, Statistical Analysis, Measures (Individuals), Language Skills
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New Zealand
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A