TY - JOUR
T1 - Pattern of acquisition of theory of mind in pre-schoolers
T2 - A cross-sectional study from South India
AU - Vishwanath, Rashmi
AU - Kamath, Avinash G.
AU - Thomas, Nitha
AU - Guddattu, Vasudev
AU - Praharaj, Samir Kumar
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank Dr Sripathy M Bhat, Dr Savitha Soman, Dr Anil Kumar, Dr Jithin T Joseph, all anganwadi and preschool teachers for their support.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2023/3
Y1 - 2023/3
N2 - Background: Theory of Mind (ToM) is an important part of children's social cognitive development. The pattern of ToM acquisition depends on many factors including culture, the number of family members, and siblings. This study aimed to examine the pattern of ToM acquisition in Indian culture. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among preschool children (three to six years) (N = 118) from rural and urban backgrounds. ToM development was assessed using the Wellman and Liu Theory of Mind Scale and the Children's Social Understanding Scale (parent report). Results: The order of acquisition of ToM in Indian children was as follows: diverse desire> diverse belief> knowledge access> explicit false belief> content false belief> hidden emotion. The number of siblings positively correlated with the total ToM task score, and the number of adults in the family did not show any positive correlation. Conclusions: Although India is a collectivistic country, the acquisition pattern of ToM in our population was like that of individualistic countries such as the United States.
AB - Background: Theory of Mind (ToM) is an important part of children's social cognitive development. The pattern of ToM acquisition depends on many factors including culture, the number of family members, and siblings. This study aimed to examine the pattern of ToM acquisition in Indian culture. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among preschool children (three to six years) (N = 118) from rural and urban backgrounds. ToM development was assessed using the Wellman and Liu Theory of Mind Scale and the Children's Social Understanding Scale (parent report). Results: The order of acquisition of ToM in Indian children was as follows: diverse desire> diverse belief> knowledge access> explicit false belief> content false belief> hidden emotion. The number of siblings positively correlated with the total ToM task score, and the number of adults in the family did not show any positive correlation. Conclusions: Although India is a collectivistic country, the acquisition pattern of ToM in our population was like that of individualistic countries such as the United States.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ajp.2022.103443
DO - 10.1016/j.ajp.2022.103443
M3 - Article
C2 - 36603402
AN - SCOPUS:85145658696
SN - 1876-2018
VL - 81
JO - Asian Journal of Psychiatry
JF - Asian Journal of Psychiatry
M1 - 103443
ER -
