Showing papers by "Serena Lecce published in 2014"
TL;DR: A conversation-based training program for 9- and 10-year-olds showed significantly greater gains in ToM than the control group; this contrast was stable over 2 months, and (in a subsample) the improvement was independent of any changes in executive functions.
103 citations
TL;DR: The authors found that sensitivity to criticism mediates the relationship between theory of mind (ToM) and school achievement in a group of 49 children during the last year of kindergarten (Time 1, mean age = 5 years and 6 months), and in Year 1 (Time 2, Mean age = 6 years and 5 months) and Year 5 (Time 3, Mean Age = 10 years and 2 months) of primary school.
Abstract: This study adds to the research on theory of mind (ToM) and school achievement by testing whether the mediating effect of sensitivity to criticism is significant when considered longitudinally and using an index of academic performance that incorporates both direct and indirect measures. A group of 49 children was tested during the last year of kindergarten (Time 1, mean age = 5 years and 6 months), in Year 1 (Time 2, mean age = 6 years and 5 months) and Year 5 (Time 3, mean age = 10 years and 2 months) of primary school. Children's ToM and verbal ability were tested at each time point, sensitivity to criticism at Time 2 and school achievement at Time 3. Results showed that sensitivity to criticism (as indexed by self-reported ability rating) mediates the relationship between Time 1 ToM and Time 3 school achievement. Practical implications of this pattern of associations are discussed.
65 citations
TL;DR: The authors compared theory-of-mind scores for children from UK and Italy (two Western countries that differ in age of school entry) and Japan (a Far Eastern country in which children, like their Italian counterparts, start school later than British children).
Abstract: Findings from cross-cultural theory-of-mind studies highlight potential measurement effects and both general (e.g., East-West) and specific (e.g., pedagogical experiences) cultural contrasts. We compared theory-of-mind scores for children from UK and Italy (two Western countries that differ in age of school entry) and Japan (a Far-Eastern country in which children, like their Italian counterparts, start school later than British children). Confirmatory factor analysis was applied to data from 268 age-gender- and verbal ability-matched 5- to 6-year olds. Key findings were that (i) all 8 indicators loaded onto a single latent factor; and (ii) this latent factor explained significant variance in each group, with just one indicator showing differential item functioning. Supporting the importance of pedagogical experiences, British children outperformed both their Italian and Japanese counterparts.
52 citations
TL;DR: The positive effect of the ToM intervention was stable over 2 months and generalized to more complex ToM tasks and metamemory.
Abstract: This study investigated the relation between theory of mind (ToM) and metamemory knowledge using a training methodology. Sixty-two 4- to 5-year-old children were recruited and randomly assigned to one of two training conditions: A first-order false belief (ToM) and a control condition. Intervention and control groups were equivalent at pretest for age, parents' education, verbal ability, inhibition, and ToM. Results showed that after the intervention children in the ToM group improved in their first-order false belief understanding significantly more than children in the control condition. Crucially, the positive effect of the ToM intervention was stable over 2 months and generalized to more complex ToM tasks and metamemory.
49 citations