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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Cognitive Science
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1435685
This article is part of the Research Topic Theory of Mind in Relation to Other Cognitive Abilities - Volume II View all 8 articles

The Theory of Mind Construct in Adulthood: Perspective Taking in Relation to Language and Executive Function

Provisionally accepted
Derek Montgomery Derek Montgomery 1*Virginia Tompkins Virginia Tompkins 2Xin Feng Xin Feng 3
  • 1 Bradley University, Peoria, United States
  • 2 The Ohio State University, Lima, Lima, Ohio, United States
  • 3 The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    There are conflicting proposals about the underlying structure of the theory of mind (ToM) construct. The lack of clarity impedes attempts to understand relationships between ToM and other cognitive abilities. This study investigated the nature of the ToM construct and its relation to cognitive variables by administering a battery of ToM measurements along with measurements of executive function and general vocabulary to 207 (Mage = 19.26) adult participants. Associations between ToM tasks were statistically significant after controlling for covariates, but, for the most part, very weak in magnitude. The strongest relationship was between the Strange Stories and Higher-Order False Belief measurements. Previous theoretical analysis proposes those instruments are conceptually linked by a perspective taking requirement that entails representing another's mental state. Results from a factor analysis suggested an underlying ToM structure-a protagonist perspective factor. The Strange Stories, Higher-Order False Belief, and Frith-Happé Animation tasks loaded onto the factor. Its defining feature is the ascription of mental states to predict and explain protagonists' actions that take place within a narrative structure. It is related more strongly to vocabulary than executive function and it provides grounds for future research on the role of narrative processing in ToM reasoning.

    Keywords: Theory of Mind, individual differences, perspective taking, early adulthood, theory and measurement

    Received: 20 May 2024; Accepted: 08 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Montgomery, Tompkins and Feng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Derek Montgomery, Bradley University, Peoria, United States

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