Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.31299/hrri.56.1.5
The relation between executive functions and theory of mind in preschool children
Sanja Šimleša
; Odsjek za logopediju, Edukacijsko – rehabilitacijski fakultet, Sveučilište u Zagrebu
Abstract
The connection and interaction between executive functions and theory of mind have not yet been clearly defined in psychological research. Executive functions and theory of mind play a significant role in the development of the individual, starting from simple patterns of infant behaviour to the development of imaginative play and autonomy of children, through to planning and organising careers and families in early adulthood. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between selected aspects of executive functions (inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) and theory of mind for children aged four and five, and to determine which aspect has the greatest value for predicting achievement in tasks involving the theory of mind. In order to determine the relationship between executive functions and theory of mind in preschool children, a set of tasks was applied individually to a sample of 203 children aged four and five. Executive functions were evaluated using the CANTAB test battery, and theory of mind was assessed using the NEPSY-II test battery. Verbal working memory was a significant predictor of theory of mind in children as young as four, and verbal working memory and cognitive flexibility were significant predictors of theory of mind at the age of five. At both ages, verbal working memory was the strongest single predictor of theory of mind. These results suggest that pre-school development is very dynamic, cognitive functions differentiate and restructure with age, and the relationship between variables of executive functions and theory of mind changes during development.
Keywords
executive functions; theory of mind; preschool age
Hrčak ID:
240175
URI
Publication date:
30.6.2020.
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