title: The Relationship between Social and Motor Cognition in Primary School Age-Children.
abstract: There is increased interest in the relationship between motor skills and social skills in child development, with evidence that the mechanisms underlying these behaviors may be linked. We took a cognitive approach to this problem, and examined the relationship between four specific cognitive domains: theory of mind, motor skill, action understanding, and imitation. Neuroimaging and adult research suggest that action understanding and imitation are closely linked, but are somewhat independent of theory of mind and low-level motor control. Here, we test if a similar pattern is shown in child development. A sample of 101 primary school aged children with a wide ability range completed tests of IQ (Raven's matrices), theory of mind, motor skill, action understanding, and imitation. Parents reported on their children's social, motor and attention performance as well as developmental concerns. The results showed that action understanding and imitation correlate, with the latter having a weak link to motor control. Theory of mind was independent of the other tasks. These results imply that independent cognitive processes for social interaction (theory of mind) and for motor control can be identified in primary school age children, and challenge approaches that link all these domains together.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE), University College London, Institute of EducationLondon, UK; School of Psychology, The University of NottinghamNottingham, UK.
authors.forename: Lorcan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kenny
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London London, UK.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, The University of NottinghamNottingham, UK; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College LondonLondon, UK.
authors.forename: Antonia F de C
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Hamilton
keywords: action understanding; imitation; motor skill; social cognition; theory of mind