title: Observant, nonaggressive temperament predicts theory of mind development.
abstract: Temperament dimensions influence children's approach to and participation in social interactive experiences which reflect and impact children's social understandings. Therefore, temperament differences might substantially impact theory of mind development in early childhood. Using longitudinal data, we report that certain early temperament characteristics (at age 3)--lack of aggressiveness, a shy-withdrawn stance to social interaction, and social-perceptual sensitivity--predict children's more advanced theory-of-mind understanding two years later. The findings contribute to our understanding of how theory of mind develops in the formative preschool period; they may also inform debates as to the evolutionary origins of theory of mind.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0406, USA. hmw@umich.edu
authors.forename: Henry M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Wellman
authors.forename: Jonathan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Lane
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: LaBounty
authors.forename: Sheryl L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Olson
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D032882:Comprehension; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010553:Personality Development; D012919:Social Behavior; D012938:Social Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013694:Temperament; D056345:Theory of Mind