theory of mind
Definition
Theory of mind refers to the ability to draw inferences about the mental states of others, anticipate their behaviour, and communicate more efficiently. It develops during childhood and has clear biological correlates, with brain areas such as the temporo-parietal junction associated with the attribution of beliefs to others, the superior temporal sulcus involved in inferring mental states, and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex implicated in processing false belief narratives. False belief understanding, assessed through tasks such as the Sally-Anne Task, is a core component, though performance on such measures also reflects executive functions and broader social competence skills beyond mentalising alone. In large-scale longitudinal research, children who demonstrated superior social cognition at ages 5 and 7, combining false belief understanding with above-average social competence in a demanding dyadic setting, scored significantly higher on risk adjustment at age 14, even after controlling for sex, family income, parental education, and verbal ability.
Sources: Tsomokos & Flouri (2023)
Related Terms
- social cognition (1 shared article)
- risk-taking (1 shared article)
- decision-making (1 shared article)
- adolescence (1 shared article)
Applications
Theory of Mind and Risk Adjustment
Children who passed the Sally-Anne Task at both ages 5 and 7, indicating superior social cognition, were positively associated with better risk adjustment on the Cambridge Gambling Task at age 14 (b = 10.46). This association was specific to the ability to revise decisions in light of new information and did not extend to overall impulsive risk taking, suggesting the link operates through cognitive flexibility rather than behavioural inhibition.
Sources: Tsomokos & Flouri (2023)
Theory of Mind and Adolescent Decision-making
The Social-Motivational Flexibility Model holds that social-cognitive maturation supports the capacity to adjust goals flexibly in a changing social environment, and risky decision-making in adolescence activates neural pathways also associated with social cognition. Early theory of mind ability, measured in childhood, thus predicts an aspect of adolescent decision-making that is distinct from impulsive or affective risk taking.
Sources: Tsomokos & Flouri (2023)
