Scholarlink

<p>Since Wellman et al. (<CitationRef CitationID="CR44">2006</CitationRef>) first explored the developmental sequence of Theory of Mind (ToM) in Chinese children using the traditional ToM scale, research tools have been refined to minimize linguistic demands, which can impact children’s ToM development patterns (Burnel et al., <CitationRef CitationID="CR3">2018</CitationRef>). The present study examined the new developmental sequence of ToM in Chinese preschoolers using an improved Low-Verbal ToM Scale With ExtEnded Trials (LV-ToM-SWEET). We measured six ToM abilities in 169 Chinese children aged 2.9–7.3 years (Mean age = 4.9 yrs, SD = 1.0 yrs, 73 boys), each with 3 trials instead of one. Results revealed a developmental sequence of Diverse Desires (DD) &gt; Diverse Beliefs (DB) &gt; Knowledge Access (KA) &gt; Content False Belief (CFB) &gt; Explicit False Belief (EFB) &gt; Hidden Emotion (HE). This DB-before-KA pattern in Chinese children does not align with the collectivistic ToM pattern previously reported, instead it corresponds more closely to the model observed in individualistic cultures. Furthermore, the emergence of CFB and EFB as distinct steps within this sequence provides additional insights that refine and expand the traditional five-step ToM scale. The present study highlighted the role of improved methodologies, such as low-verbal tools, in uncovering nuanced ToM developmental patterns and provided new empirical insights into Chinese children’s ToM acquisition. The findings also highlight the need to assess how the rapid social transformations in China may contribute to shifts in children’s ToM acquisition.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Theory of mind acquisition in Chinese children: insights from the low-verbal perspective

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月6日

查看全文
  • Muyu Zhou,
  • Yi Esther Su,
  • Morgane Burnel,
  • Xiaying Chu,
  • Li Li,
  • Wenwen Hou

摘要

Since Wellman et al. (2006) first explored the developmental sequence of Theory of Mind (ToM) in Chinese children using the traditional ToM scale, research tools have been refined to minimize linguistic demands, which can impact children’s ToM development patterns (Burnel et al., 2018). The present study examined the new developmental sequence of ToM in Chinese preschoolers using an improved Low-Verbal ToM Scale With ExtEnded Trials (LV-ToM-SWEET). We measured six ToM abilities in 169 Chinese children aged 2.9–7.3 years (Mean age = 4.9 yrs, SD = 1.0 yrs, 73 boys), each with 3 trials instead of one. Results revealed a developmental sequence of Diverse Desires (DD) > Diverse Beliefs (DB) > Knowledge Access (KA) > Content False Belief (CFB) > Explicit False Belief (EFB) > Hidden Emotion (HE). This DB-before-KA pattern in Chinese children does not align with the collectivistic ToM pattern previously reported, instead it corresponds more closely to the model observed in individualistic cultures. Furthermore, the emergence of CFB and EFB as distinct steps within this sequence provides additional insights that refine and expand the traditional five-step ToM scale. The present study highlighted the role of improved methodologies, such as low-verbal tools, in uncovering nuanced ToM developmental patterns and provided new empirical insights into Chinese children’s ToM acquisition. The findings also highlight the need to assess how the rapid social transformations in China may contribute to shifts in children’s ToM acquisition.