Training children's theory-of-mind: A meta-analysis of controlled studies

Stefan G Hofmann; Stacey N Doan; Manuel Sprung; Anne Wilson; Chad Ebesutani; Leigh A Andrews; Joshua Curtiss; Paul L Harris

doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2016.01.006

Training children's theory-of-mind: A meta-analysis of controlled studies

Cognition. 2016 May:150:200-12. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2016.01.006. Epub 2016 Feb 20.

Authors

Stefan G Hofmann¹, Stacey N Doan², Manuel Sprung³, Anne Wilson⁴, Chad Ebesutani⁵, Leigh A Andrews⁶, Joshua Curtiss⁶, Paul L Harris⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, 648 Beacon Street, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA. Electronic address: shofmann@bu.edu.
² Department of Psychology, Claremont McKenna College, 850 Columbia Ave., Claremont, CA 91711, USA. Electronic address: sdoan@cmc.edu.
³ Psychosomatisches Zentrum Waldviertel, Grafenberg Straße 2, 3730 Eggenburg, Austria. Electronic address: manuel.sprung@pszw.at.
⁴ Department of Psychology, Ohio State University, 225 Psychology Building, 1835 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. Electronic address: anne.wilson80@gmail.com.
⁵ Department of Psychology, Duksung Women's University, 33, Samyangro 144-gil, (419 Ssangmun Dong), Dobong Gu, Seoul 132-714, South Korea. Electronic address: ebesutani@duksung.ac.kr.
⁶ Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, 648 Beacon Street, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
⁷ Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, 503A Larsen Hall, Appian Way, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. Electronic address: paul_harris@gse.harvard.edu.

Abstract

Background: Theory-of-mind (ToM) refers to knowledge and awareness of mental states in oneself and others. Various training programs have been developed to improve ToM in children.

Objectives: In the present study, we conducted a quantitative review of ToM training programs that have been tested in controlled studies.

Data sources: A literature search was conducted using PubMed, PsycInfo, the Cochrane Library, and manual searches.

Review methods: We identified 32 papers with 45 studies or experiments that included 1529 children with an average age of 63 months (SD=28.7).

Results: ToM training procedures were more effective than control procedures and their aggregate effect size was moderately strong (Hedges' g=0.75, CI=0.60-0.89, p<.001). Moderator analyses revealed that although ToM training programs were generally effective, ToM skill-related outcomes increased with length of training sessions and were significantly higher in active control studies.

Conclusion: ToM training procedures can effectively enhance ToM in children.

Keywords: Appearance–reality; False beliefs; Intervention; Meta-analysis; Theory of mind; Training.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Age Factors
Child
Controlled Clinical Trials as Topic / methods*
Humans
Teaching / psychology*
Theory of Mind / physiology*

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding