The role of parents’ distancing strategies in the development of five-year-old children’s Theory of Mind

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyse the relation between parents’ distancing strategies and the performance of five-year-old children (N = 70) in Theory of Mind (ToM) tasks. The children’s performances were assessed during individual sessions held at school. The distancing strategies practiced by the parents (cognitive and linguistic scaffolding, contingency rule and decontextualisation strategies, among others) were assessed through systematic observation carried out in the family home. The results support the relationship between some of these variables (linguistic scaffolding, decontextualisation and contingency rule) and ToM development. The implications of these results are discussed in relation to the need of educational and family intervention programmes which enhance the development of this ability.

Keywords:

• family context
• theory of mind
• scaffolding
• decontextualisation
• contingency rule
• mental state language

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank both the authorities of the participating schools and the 70 participating families for their collaboration in this study. This study was carried out thanks to a grant awarded to the principal author by the Basque Government Research Staff Training Programme. The paper was translated into English by Diana Draper.