False-belief understanding and social preference over the first 2 years of school: a longitudinal study

Empathy and Theory of Mind in Preschoolers

Empathy and Theory of Mind (ToM) undergo major development in preschoolers and help them in their social interactions. This study investigated (1) how affective, cognitive and behavioral empathy are linked with ToM relating to affective and cognitive mental states; and (2) whether subgroups of children could be differentiated according to their skills in these two domains. Mothers of 364 three-to-six-year-old children completed the French version of the Griffith Empathy Measure, Empathy Questionnaire, and Theory of Mind Inventory. The ToM Tasks Battery was also administered to children. A path analysis model showed positive relationships between distinct dimensions of empathy and ToM. Hierarchical cluster analyses identified four subgroups of cases, including one of children at risk of difficulties in empathy and ToM. This study emphasizes the importance of assessing these domains to detect children at risk and refer them to intervention programmes that target the development of these skills.

Social Understanding and Friendships in Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or Dyslexia

Social understanding relies upon children's experience of the world and their communicative interaction with others. Opportunities to engage in cooperative social interaction, such as friendships, can foster the development of social understanding. Children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia often have friendships of poorer quality. The present study examined relationships and differences in social understanding and friendship quality in children with ADHD or dyslexia, in comparison to neurotypically developing children (NTD). Participants were 192 primary-school students (Mage = 9.77, SD = 1.21) from Attica, Greece. Social understanding was measured with second-order and advanced theory of mind (ToM) tasks, and the Bryant's Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents, while friendships were examined with the Friendship Quality Questionnaire. Children with ADHD scored significantly lower across all positive characteristics of friendship quality, empathy and advanced ToM than those with dyslexia, who in turn scored significantly lower than NTD children. Moreover, children with ADHD performed significantly worse in the second-order ToM tasks compared to children with NTD or dyslexia, while NTD children scored significantly lower in the friendship conflict betrayal subscale compared to both ADHD and dyslexia groups. Multiple regression analyses controlling for learning disability status, gender, and age showed that ToM and perceived empathy predict friendship quality characteristics in all groups of children. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of children's friendship relationships and give insight to parents and professionals involved in children's education, provision, and mental health care.

Theory of Mind and physical bullying in preschool children: the role of peer rejection and gender differences

BACKGROUND

Preschool represents the budding and initial stage of bullying behavior, where perpetration of physical bullying predominates as the primary form of bullying. An in-depth understanding of the factors linked to preschool physical bullying behavior is crucial for enabling early prevention and intervention strategies.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between Theory of Mind and physical bullying behavior in 4-6 years old children in kindergarten and the mediating role of peer rejection and gender in this relationship.

METHODS

Data on perpetration of physical bullying and peer rejection were obtained from 310 preschool children (age range = 52-79 months, M = 66.85, SD = 7.04) by the peer nomination method, and their Theory of Mind was measured by the Theory of Mind Development Scale.

RESULTS

The results showed that Theory of Mind negatively predicted perpetration of physical bullying in preschool children and that Theory of Mind was related to perpetration of physical bullying in preschool children only through peer rejection. Boys were also found to have a stronger association between peer rejection and perpetration of physical bullying in preschool children than girls.

CONCLUSION

Peer rejection may play a mediating role between Theory of Mind and perpetration of physical bullying in preschool children. In addition, the relationship between peer rejection and perpetration of physical bullying appears to be stronger for boys than for girls. This contributes to our understanding of the relationship between Theory of Mind and perpetration of physical bullying in preschool children and has implications for how bullying prevention and intervention can be tailored to the gender of young children.

Assessing Theory of Mind in Children: A Tablet-Based Adaptation of a Classic Picture Sequencing Task

Correctly assessing children's theory of mind (TOM) is essential to clinical practice. Yet, most tasks heavily rely on language, which is an obstacle for several populations. Langdon and Coltheart's (Cognition 71(1):43-71, 1999) Picture Sequencing Task (PST), developed for research purposes, avoids this limitation through a minimally-verbal procedure. We thus developed a tablet adaptation of this task for individual application, engaging children's motivation and allowing response times collection. To assess this tablet-PST, we first tested a large sample of neurotypical children (6-11 years-old, N = 248), whose results confirmed the task's structural and content validity, and permitted the construction of three standardized clinical indices. In a second experiment, we applied those to previously diagnosed autistic children (N = 23), who were expected to show atypical TOM performance. Children's outcomes were consistent with what was hypothesized and confirmed the task's external validity and moderate clinical sensitivity. The tablet-PST thus appears as a suitable tool, providing detailed profiles to inform clinical decisions.

Transitioning from childhood into adolescence: A comprehensive longitudinal behavioral and neuroimaging study on prosocial behavior and social inclusion

Acting prosocially and feeling socially included are important factors for developing social relations. However, little is known about the development of neural trajectories of prosocial behavior and social inclusion in the transition from middle childhood to early adolescence. In this pre-registered study, we investigated the development of prosocial behavior, social inclusion, and their neural mechanisms in a three-wave longitudinal design (ages 7-13 years; NT1 = 512; NT2 = 456; NT3 = 336). We used the Prosocial Cyberball Game, a ball tossing game in which one player is excluded, to measure prosocial compensating behavior. Prosocial compensating behavior showed a linear developmental increase, similar to parent-reported prosocial behavior, whereas parent-reported empathy showed a quadratic trajectory with highest levels in late childhood. On a neural level we found a peak in ventral striatum activity during prosocial compensating behavior. Neural activity during social inclusion showed quadratic age effects in anterior cingulate cortex, insula, striatum, and precuneus, and a linear increase in temporo-parietal junction. Finally, changes in prosocial compensating behavior were negatively associated with changes in ventral striatum and mPFC activity during social inclusion, indicating an important co-occurrence between development in brain and social behavior. Together these findings shed a light on the mechanisms underlying social development from childhood into adolescence.

The promotion of mature theory of mind skills in educational settings: a mini-review

After formal school entry, theory of mind development encounters a blooming period of growth intertwined with social and academic achievements and challenges. Within this framework, in last years researchers have proposed training programs to foster mature ToM skills, but also, to test causal pathways for the role that ToM development may have in broader cognitive and social outcomes. In the current mini-review we examine which training programs have been developed so far to enhance three key aspects of mature ToM skills: second-order false belief reasoning, the ability to put one's own ToM knowledge into use, and the mentalization of thoughts and emotions. We also illustrate effects of these activities on intra- and inter- personal competence. In its conclusion the paper provides considerations of both first achievements of research in this area and gaps to be addressed in future works.

Early pathways to bullying: A prospective longitudinal study examining the influences of theory of mind and social preference on bullying behaviour during the first 3 years of school

Research has focused on the role of theory of mind (ToM) for positive social behaviour, while the association between ToM and negative social behaviours is less well understood. This longitudinal study compares two mediation models examining the role of ToM and peer-rated social preference at ages 5 and 6 for bullying at age 7. Participants were 114 children (58 boys, M_age  = 67 months) at entry to primary school (T1). At Time 2 (T2), 106 children and, at Time 3 (T3), 96 children remained. Teacher-rated externalizing problems and children's language ability were controlled at T1. Poor ToM was found to indirectly predict later bullying via poor social preference, while for boys only, greater earlier ToM directly predicted greater bullying 2 years later. These results suggest that there are different pathways to bullying via ToM and social preference, which has implications for interventions to prevent the development of bullying behaviour.

The neural development of prosocial behavior from childhood to adolescence

The transition from childhood to adolescence is marked by increasingly sophisticated social cognitive abilities that are paralleled by significant functional maturation of the brain. However, the role of social and neurobiological development in facilitating age differences in prosocial behavior remains unclear. Using a cross-sectional sample of children and adolescents (n = 51; 8–16 years), we examined the age-related correlates of prosocial behavior. Youth made costly and non-costly prosocial decisions to anonymous peers during a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. Among a subsample of youth who made prosocial decisions (n = 35), we found quadratic age differences in neural activation that peaked in early adolescence relative to childhood and older adolescence. In particular, early adolescents showed heightened recruitment of the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), temporal pole and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) when engaging in costly prosocial behavior at the expense of gaining a reward, whereas they evoked heightened pSTS and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex/IFG activation when engaging in costly vs non-costly forms of prosocial behavior. Given that we did not find age differences in prosocial behavior, this suggests that early adolescents show unique patterns of brain activation to inform similar levels of prosocial behavior.

Does Theory of Mind Training Enhance Empathy in Autism?

Youth with ASD often show limited or atypical empathic responsiveness. The direct effects of social skills interventions on enhancing empathic responsiveness is unknown. Data from a randomized controlled trial were used to investigate whether a Theory of Mind training improves the empathic responsiveness, measured through structured observations. The current study included a large sample (n = 135) of 8–13-year-old children with ASD. When comparing the change scores of empathic responsiveness from baseline to post-test, the intervention group performed significantly better than the waitlist group. Thus, the current findings support the use of Theory of Mind training as intervention of ASD by showing its efficacy also in improving one’s empathic responsiveness, in addition to previous knowledge regarding the improvements in empathic understanding.

Theory of Mind and Sociometric Peer Status: The Mediating Role of Social Conduct

The present study aimed at investigating the mediating role of social conduct in the relation between theory of mind (ToM) and sociometric peer status. One hundred and seventy-seven 8- to 11-year-olds filled out a battery encompassing advanced ToM skill, verbal ability and sociometric peer status, expressed in terms of social preference and social impact. A questionnaire on students’ externalizing, internalizing and prosocial behaviors was administered to teachers. Only externalizing behavior mediated the link between ToM and social impact, controlling for age, gender, and verbal ability. Implications and suggestions for future research were discussed.

Same or different? Theory of mind among children with and without disabilities

Assessing theory of mind (ToM) with reliable and valid measures is important, as ToM plays a significant role in children’s social and cognitive functioning. With this in mind, a thorough analysis of the Theory of Mind scale and the Faux Pas Recognition Test was conducted. Over 750 school-age (M age = 7.7) children with disabilities (mild intellectual disability, hearing impairment) and without disabilities took part in our study. The psychometric properties of measures in these groups of children were checked, using confirmatory item factor analysis, reliability, and validity analyses. Thanks to groups’ invariance it was possible to compare mean results of children in the groups. Both measures showed well-fitted models with acceptable goodness of fit as well as scalar and strict invariance. An IRT analysis showed significant differences in the difficulty of the tasks in all groups, but the same order of passing tasks in comparison to other studies, conducted in Western countries, has been observed. Our results showed that the tasks were the easiest for children without disabilities, and most difficult for children with mild intellectual disability. We obtained significant and positive correlations between ToM and social skills and language abilities. The findings are discussed in relation to results from other studies in the field.

What lies beneath peer acceptance in adolescence? Exploring the role of Nucleus Accumbens responsivity to self-serving and vicarious rewards

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Higher sensitivity for self-serving rewards is related to lower peer acceptance.

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Peer acceptance is not related to Nucleus Accumbens activity during vicarious wins.

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Findings highlight the importance of neural reward-processing in peer relationships.

Peer relationships play an important role in adolescent social development. Adolescence is also a sensitive period for reward-related processing where Nucleus Accumbens (NAcc) shows peak levels of activity. To investigate the role of reward-related neural processes in peer relationships, we scanned 31 adolescents (16 boys, 15 girls) from 12 to 17 years old and had their classmates rate their likability and dislikability. Using these ratings, we calculated levels of peer acceptance (i.e., likability minus dislikability scores). Participants played a social gambling paradigm in the scanner where we examined NAcc responses to winning for self and winning for best friends. We showed that acceptance by peers was related negatively to activation patterns in the NAcc when winning money for self. Peer acceptance was not related to NAcc activity during vicarious reward processing where participants won money for their best friend. These results point in the direction of an underlying neural mechanism indicating that peer interactions of well-liked adolescents are characterized by a lower focus on benefits for self.

Cardiac vagal regulation in infancy predicts executive function and social competence in preschool: Indirect effects through language

Parasympathetic nervous system functioning in infancy may serve a foundational role in the development of cognitive and socioemotional skills (Calkins, 2007). In this study (N = 297), we investigated the potential indirect effects of cardiac vagal regulation in infancy on children's executive functioning and social competence in preschool via expressive and receptive language in toddlerhood. Vagal regulation was assessed at 10 months during two attention conditions (social, nonsocial) via task-related changes in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). A path analysis revealed that decreased RSA from baseline in the nonsocial condition and increased RSA in the social condition were related to larger vocabularies in toddlerhood. Additionally, children's vocabulary sizes were positively related to their executive function and social competence in preschool. Indirect effects from vagal regulation in both contexts to both 4-year outcomes were significant, suggesting that early advances in language may represent a mechanism through which biological functioning in infancy impacts social and cognitive functioning in childhood.

Theory-of-Mind Development and Early Sibling Relationships after the Birth of a Sibling: Parental Discipline Matters

This study investigated relations among children's Theory-of-Mind (ToM) development, early sibling interactions, and parental discipline strategies during the transition to siblinghood. Using a sample of firstborn children and their parents (N = 208), we assessed children's ToM before the birth of a sibling and 12 months after the birth, and sibling interactions (i.e., positive engagement and antagonism) and parental discipline strategies (i.e., child-centred and parent-centred discipline) at 4 and 8 months in the first year of siblinghood. Structural equation modelling analyses revealed that children's ToM before the birth of the sibling predicted children's positive engagement with the infant sibling, whereas children's antagonistic behaviours towards the infant sibling negatively predicted children's ToM at 12 months, but only when mothers used low levels of child-centred discipline. These findings emphasize the role of parents in the development of young children's social- cognitive understanding in the context of sibling interactions even as early as the first year after the sibling's birth.

Adherence to 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years and associations with social-cognitive development among Australian preschool children

BACKGROUND

The new Australian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years recommend that, for preschoolers, a healthy 24-h includes: i) ≥180 min of physical activity, including ≥60 min of energetic play, ii) ≤1 h of sedentary screen time, and iii) 10-13 h of good quality sleep. Using an Australian sample, this study reports the proportion of preschool children meeting these guidelines and investigates associations with social-cognitive development.

METHODS

Data from 248 preschool children (mean age = 4.2 ± 0.6 years, 57% boys) participating in the PATH-ABC study were analyzed. Children completed direct assessments of physical activity (accelerometry) and social cognition (the Test of Emotional Comprehension (TEC) and Theory of Mind (ToM)). Parents reported on children's screen time and sleep. Children were categorised as meeting/not meeting: i) individual guidelines, ii) combinations of two guidelines, or iii) all three guidelines. Associations were examined using linear regression adjusting for child age, sex, vocabulary, area level socio-economic status and childcare level clustering.

RESULTS

High proportions of children met the physical activity (93.1%) and sleep (88.7%) guidelines, whereas fewer met the screen time guideline (17.3%). Overall, 14.9% of children met all three guidelines. Children meeting the sleep guideline performed better on TEC than those who did not (mean difference [MD] = 1.41; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.36, 2.47). Children meeting the sleep and physical activity or sleep and screen time guidelines also performed better on TEC (MD = 1.36; 95% CI = 0.31, 2.41) and ToM (MD = 0.25; 95% CI = -0.002, 0.50; p = 0.05), respectively, than those who did not. Meeting all three guidelines was associated with better ToM performance (MD = 0.28; 95% CI = -0.002, 0.48, p = 0.05), while meeting a larger number of guidelines was associated with better TEC (3 or 2 vs. 1/none, p < 0.02) and ToM performance (3 vs. 2, p = 0.03).

CONCLUSIONS

Strategies to promote adherence to the 24-Hour Movement Behaviour Guidelines for the Early Years among preschool children are warranted. Supporting preschool children to meet all guidelines or more guidelines, particularly the sleep and screen time guidelines, may be beneficial for their social-cognitive development.

The Preschool Activity, Technology, Health, Adiposity, Behaviour and Cognition (PATH-ABC) cohort study: rationale and design

BACKGROUND

Prevalence estimates internationally suggest that many preschool-aged children (3-5 years) are insufficiently physically active and engage in high levels of screen-based entertainment. Early childhood is the developmental period for which we know the least about the effects of physical activity on development and health. Likewise, rapid technological advancements in mobile electronic media have made screen-based forms of entertainment for young children ubiquitous, and research demonstrating the impacts on cognition, psychosocial well-being, and health has lagged behind the rate of adoption of these technologies. The purpose of the Preschool Activity, Technology, Health, Adiposity, Behaviour and Cognition (PATH-ABC) study is to investigate if physical activity and screen-based entertainment are independently associated with cognitive and psychosocial development, and health outcomes in young children, and if so, how much and which types of these behaviours might be most influential.

METHODS

The PATH-ABC study is a prospective cohort, aiming to recruit 430 3-5 year-old children. Children are recruited through and complete initial assessments at their Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) centre, and then 12-months later at their centre or school. Direct assessments are made of children's habitual physical activity using accelerometry, cognitive (executive function) and language development (expressive vocabulary), psychosocial development (emotional understanding, Theory of Mind, empathy, and heart rate variability), adiposity (body mass index and waist circumference), and cardiovascular health (blood pressure and retinal micro- vasculature). Educators report on children's psychological strengths and difficulties and self-regulation. Parents report on children's habitual use of electronic media and other child, parent and household characteristics.

DISCUSSION

The PATH-ABC study aims to provide evidence to enhance understanding of how much and which types of physical activity and screen-based media influence development and health in preschool-aged children. This information would benefit parents, educators, health professionals and governments seeking to develop strategies and policies to give young children the best start in life by promoting healthy levels of physical activity and electronic media use.

Development of constructivist theory of mind from middle childhood to early adulthood and its relation to social cognition and behavior

Two studies examined the development of constructivist theory of mind (ToM) during late childhood and early adolescence. In Study 1, a new measure was developed to assess participants' understanding of the interpretive and constructive processes embedded in memory, comprehension, attention, comparison, planning, and inference. Using this measure, Study 2 tested a mediational model in which prosocial reasoning about conflict mediated the relation between constructivist ToM and behavior problems in high school. Results showed that the onset of constructivist ToM occurs between late childhood and early adolescence and that adolescents who have more advanced constructivist ToM have more prosocial reasoning about conflict, which in turn mediated the relation with fewer serious behavior problems in high school, after controlling for academic performance and sex. In both studies, girls showed more advanced constructivist ToM than boys in high school.

Longitudinal links between childhood peer acceptance and the neural correlates of sharing

Childhood peer acceptance is associated with high levels of prosocial behavior and advanced perspective taking skills. Yet, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying these associations have not been studied. This functional magnetic resonance imaging study examined the neural correlates of sharing decisions in a group of adolescents who had a stable accepted status (n = 27) and a group who had a chronic rejected status (n = 19) across six elementary school grades. Both groups of adolescents played three allocation games in which they could share money with strangers with varying costs and profits to them and the other person. Stably accepted adolescents were more likely to share their money with unknown others than chronically rejected adolescents when sharing was not costly. Neuroimaging analyses showed that stably accepted adolescents, compared to chronically rejected adolescents, exhibited higher levels of activation in the temporo‐parietal junction, posterior superior temporal sulcus, temporal pole, pre‐supplementary motor area, and anterior insula during costly sharing decisions. These findings demonstrate that stable peer acceptance across childhood is associated with heightened activity in brain regions previously linked to perspective taking and the detection of social norm violations during adolescence, and thereby provide insight into processes underlying the widely established links between peer acceptance and prosocial behavior.

Translating child development research into practice: Can teachers foster children's theory of mind in primary school?

BACKGROUND

Translating research findings into practice should be one of the objectives of developmental psychology. Recently, research demonstrated the existence of individual differences in theory of mind (ToM) during middle childhood that are crucial for children's academic and social adjustment.

AIMS

This study aims to transfer the results of recent experimental studies on ToM interventions into primary-school teachers' practices. It examines whether a ToM training programme, based on conversations about mental states, can be effective under real-world school conditions and if it can be translated in such a way that it becomes suitable for primary-school teachers.

SAMPLE

Seventy-two 8- to 9-year-old children took part in the study. A total of four classes were recruited and randomly assigned to the experimental (34 children, 18 boys) or to the control condition (38 children, 18 boys).

METHODS

The ToM group and the control group were matched at pre-test for age, ToM, socio-economic background, verbal ability, working memory, and planning. Teachers were trained in four teacher-training sessions; the classroom-training programme was delivered by teachers in four sessions (each 50 min long). Children were assessed before the intervention, after the end of the programme, and 2 months later.

RESULTS

The ToM group improved ToM skills significantly more than the control group both in the short and in the long term.

CONCLUSIONS

Teachers can successfully promote their pupils' ToM development during their regular teaching hours. Results are discussed in the light of the importance of ToM promotion for children's school adjustment.

Scaling of Advanced Theory-of-Mind Tasks

Advanced theory-of-mind (AToM) development was investigated in three separate studies involving 82, 466, and 402 elementary school children (8-, 9-, and 10-year-olds). Rasch and factor analyses assessed whether common conceptual development underlies higher-order false-belief understanding, social understanding, emotion recognition, and perspective-taking abilities. The results refuted a unidimensional scale and revealed three distinct AToM factors: social reasoning, reasoning about ambiguity, and recognizing transgressions of social norms. Developmental progressions emerged for the two reasoning factors but not for recognizing transgressions of social norms. Both social factors were significantly related to inhibition, whereas language development only predicted performance on social reasoning. These findings suggest that AToM comprises multiple abilities, which are subject to distinct cognitive influences. Importantly, only two AToM factors involve conceptual development.

Neural correlates of retaliatory and prosocial reactions to social exclusion: Associations with chronic peer rejection

Social exclusion is a distressing experience and can lead to both retaliatory and prosocial reactions toward the sources of exclusion. The way people react to social exclusion has been hypothesized to be shaped through chronic exposure to peer rejection. This functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging study examined associations between chronic peer rejection and retaliatory (i.e. punishing) and prosocial (i.e. forgiving) reactions to social exclusion and the neural processes underlying them. Chronically rejected (n=19) and stably highly accepted adolescents (n=27) distributed money between themselves and unknown others who previously included or excluded them in a virtual ball-tossing game (Cyberball). Decreasing the excluders' monetary profits (i.e., punishment) was associated with increased activity in the ventral striatum, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) and parietal cortex in both groups. Compared to stably highly accepted adolescents, chronically rejected adolescents exhibited higher activity in the dorsal striatum and lateral prefrontal cortex - brain regions implicated in cognitive control - when they refrained from punishment and shared their money equally with (i.e. forgave) the excluders. These results provide insights into processes that might underlie the maintenance of peer rejection across development, such as difficulties controlling the urge to retaliate after exclusion.

Aggression, Sibling Antagonism, and Theory of Mind During the First Year of Siblinghood: A Developmental Cascade Model

A developmental cascade model was tested to examine longitudinal associations among firstborn children's aggression, theory of mind (ToM), and antagonism toward their younger sibling during the 1st year of siblinghood. Aggression and ToM were assessed before the birth of a sibling and 4 and 12 months after the birth, and antagonism was examined at 4 and 12 months in a sample of 208 firstborn children (initial Mage  = 30 months, 56% girls) from primarily European American, middle-class families. Firstborns' aggression consistently predicted high sibling antagonism both directly and through poorer ToM. Results highlight the importance of examining longitudinal influences across behavioral, social-cognitive, and relational factors that are closely intertwined even from the early years of life.