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Intergenerational transmission of theory‐of‐mind
Author(s) -
Sabbagh Mark A.,
Seamans Elizabeth L.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
developmental science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.801
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1467-7687
pISSN - 1363-755X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2008.00680.x
Subject(s) - psychology , theory of mind , correlation , developmental psychology , task (project management) , cognitive psychology , cognition , geometry , mathematics , management , neuroscience , economics
We examined whether individual differences in children's performance on a scaled battery of theory‐of‐mind tasks was predicted by parents’ performance on an adult theory‐of‐mind task. Forty‐six 3‐year‐old children and their parents participated in this study when children were aged 2;11 to 4;0. Thirty dyads returned 6 months later for a second assessment. After statistically controlling for relevant covariates, we detected a positive correlation between parents’ and children's theory‐of‐mind scores. The correlation was significant at both time points, and was robust when data were aggregated across the two sessions. These results provide some evidence for intergenerational transmission of theory‐of‐mind abilities in a typically developing sample, and possible mechanisms underlying this relation are discussed.