title: Culture and the sequence of steps in theory of mind development.
abstract: To examine cultural contrasts in the ordered sequence of conceptual developments leading to theory of mind (ToM), we compared 135 3- to 6-year-olds (77 Australians; 58 Iranians) on an established 5-step ToM scale (Wellman & Liu, 2004). There was a cross-cultural difference in the sequencing of ToM steps but not in overall rates of ToM mastery. In line with our predictions, the children from Iran conformed to a distinctive sequence previously observed only in children in China. In contrast to the case with children from Australia (and the United States), knowledge access was understood earlier than opinion diversity in children from Iran, consistent with this collectivist culture's emphasis on filial respect, dispute avoidance, and acquiring knowledge. Having a sibling was linked with faster overall ToM progress in Australia only and was not related to scale sequences in either culture.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Ameneh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shahaeian
authors.forename: Candida C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Slaughter
authors.forename: Henry M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Wellman
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011581:Psychological Tests; D002666:Psychology, Child; D035781:Siblings / Q000523:psychology; D056345:Theory of Mind