Theory of Mind and Prosocial Behavior in Childhood: A Meta-Analytic Review

Autor/inn/en	Imuta, Kana; Henry, Julie D.; Slaughter, Virginia; Selcuk, Bilge; Ruffman, Ted
Titel	Theory of Mind and Prosocial Behavior in Childhood: A Meta-Analytic Review
Quelle	In: Developmental Psychology, 52 (2016) 8, S.1192-1205 (14 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0012-1649
DOI	10.1037/dev0000140
Schlagwörter	Theory of Mind; Prosocial Behavior; Children; Meta Analysis; Scores; Measures (Individuals); Social Cognition; Beliefs; Misconceptions; Helping Relationship; Cooperation; Gender Differences; Age Differences; Affective Behavior; Foreign Countries; Statistical Analysis; Effect Size; Perspective Taking; Sharing Behavior; Motivation; Language Usage; Correlation; Literature Reviews; Search Strategies; Australia; Canada; China; Colombia; Germany; Israel; Italy; Netherlands; Switzerland; Turkey; United Kingdom; United States + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Child; Kind; Kinder; Meta-analysis; Metaanalyse; Messdaten; Soziale Kognition; Belief; Glaube; Missverständnis; Helfende Beziehung; Co-operation; Kooperation; Geschlechterkonflikt; Age; Difference; Age difference; Altersunterschied; Affective disturbance; Active behaviour; Affektive Störung; Ausland; Statistische Analyse; Zukunftsperspektive; psychologische; Motivation (psychologisch); Sprachgebrauch; Korrelation; Suchstrategie; Australien; Kanada; Kolumbien; Deutschland; Italien; Niederlande; Schweiz; Türkei; Großbritannien; USA
Abstract	It has been argued that children who possess an advanced theory of mind (ToM) are more likely to act prosocially, yet the empirical findings are mixed. To address this issue definitively, a meta-analytic integration of all prior literature that met appropriate inclusion criteria was conducted. In total, 76 studies including 6,432 children between 2 and 12 years of age contributed to these analyses. Collapsed across all studies, a significant association emerged (r = 0.19), indicating that children with higher ToM scores also received higher scores on concurrent measures of prosocial behavior. The magnitude of this effect was similar across ToM assessments requiring identification of others' cognitions versus emotions, and it existed irrespective of whether the ToM measure imposed demands on false belief reasoning or not. The association with ToM was also evident for different subtypes of prosocial behavior (helping, cooperating, comforting). ToM had a similar effect for boys and girls, but was slightly stronger in children aged 6 years or older, relative to their younger peers. Taken together, these findings provide the strongest evidence to date that being able to explicitly consider what other people are thinking and feeling is related to children's tendencies to act prosocially, although the magnitude of the association is relatively weak. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01