ERIC Number: EJ1049958
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Sep
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0012-1649
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Available Date: N/A
Individual Differences in Executive Functioning Predict Preschoolers' Improvement from Theory-of-Mind Training
Benson, Jeannette E.; Sabbagh, Mark A.; Carlson, Stephanie M.; Zelazo, Philip David
Developmental Psychology, v49 n9 p1615-1627 Sep 2013
Twenty-four 3.5-year-old children who initially showed poor performance on false-belief tasks participated in a training protocol designed to promote performance on these tasks. Our aim was to determine whether the extent to which children benefited from training was predicted by their performance on a battery of executive functioning tasks. Findings indicated that individual differences in executive functioning performance strongly and consistently predicted improvement in children's false-belief performance and their ability to appropriately explain false-belief-based behavior, both during the training period and during the posttest. These findings were robust after statistically controlling for several relevant covariates. These results are consistent with the suggestion that executive functioning skills promote developments in theory of mind by facilitating the ability to reflect upon and learn from relevant experience.
Descriptors: Individual Differences, Theory of Mind, Executive Function, Prediction, Task Analysis, Young Children, Teaching Methods, Statistical Analysis, Learning Experience, Cognitive Development, Role
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test
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