Theory of Mind and diverse intelligences in 4-year-olds: Modelling associations of false beliefs with children’s numerate-spatial, verbal, and social intelligence

Osterhaus, Christopher ; Putnick, Diane L. ; Kristen-Antonow, Susanne ; Kloo, Daniela ; Bornstein, Marc H. und Sodian, Beate (2020): Theory of Mind and diverse intelligences in 4-year-olds: Modelling associations of false beliefs with children’s numerate-spatial, verbal, and social intelligence. In: British Journal of Developmental Psychology, Bd. 38, Nr. 4: S. 580-593

Abstract

Theory of Mind (ToM) and the structure of intelligence were investigated in 115 4-year-olds. Specifically, we asked whether children’s intelligence involves both general and specific aspects and whether standard ToM measures of false belief can serve as indicators of social intelligence. Psychometric intelligence and children’s domain-specific understanding of number concepts and of mental states (false belief) were measured in the laboratory; communication and social skills were assessed through mothers’ report. A confirmatory factor analysis revealed poor fit for a one-factor model, but good fit for a model with three correlated factors, suggesting that children’s intelligence involves both general and specific aspects. Numerate-spatial and verbal intelligence were correlated (.70), and social intelligence correlated to a stronger degree with verbal (.66) than with numerate-spatial intelligence (.37). Laboratory assessment of false belief and mothers’ reports about children’s social skills loaded on a single factor, pointing to real-world consequences of ToM abilities.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Keywords: Intelligence; structure; Theory of Mind; domain-general; domain-specific
• Fakultät: Psychologie und Pädagogik > Department Psychologie > Entwicklungspsychologie und Pädagogische Psychologie
• Themengebiete: 100 Philosophie und Psychologie > 150 Psychologie ; 300 Sozialwissenschaften > 370 Bildung und Erziehung
• Sprache: Englisch