title: Mothers' cognitive references to 2-year-olds predict theory of mind at ages 6 and 10.
abstract: Mothers' mental-state references predict individual differences in preschoolers' false-belief (FB) understanding; less is known about the origins of corresponding variation in school-age children. To address this gap, 105 children completed observations with their mothers at child ages 2 and 6, three FB tasks and a verbal comprehension test at age 3, and five FB tasks at age 6. Seventy-seven of these children completed five Strange Stories at age 10. Individual differences in mothers' cognitive references at child age 2 predicted variation in children's FB understanding at age 6 and Strange Stories scores at age 10 (controlling for number of mothers' turns and children's mental-state references, verbal comprehension and FB understanding at age 3, and mothers' cognitive references at child age 6).
authors: University of Cambridge.
authors: Rosie
authors: R
authors: Ensor
authors: University of Cambridge.
authors: Rory T
authors: RT
authors: Devine
authors: University of Cambridge.
authors: Alex
authors: A
authors: Marks
authors: University of Cambridge.
authors: Claire
authors: C
authors: Hughes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D056345:Theory of Mind / Q000502:physiology*