Willing and able? Theory of mind, social motivation, and social competence in middle childhood and early adolescence.

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 9814574 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1467-7687 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 1363755X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Dev Sci Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Oxford, UK ; Malden, MA, USA : Wiley-Blackwell, c1998-

Social Skills* ; Theory of Mind*; Adolescent ; Child ; Child Development ; Female ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; Male ; Motivation

This study investigated the links between theory of mind, social motivation, and children's social competence in middle childhood and early adolescence. Two hundred and sixty four children (136 girls, 128 boys) aged between 8 and 13 years (M Age = 10.88 years, SD = 1.45) completed theory-of-mind tests and self-report questionnaires measuring social motivation. Teachers rated children's social competence at school. Teacher-rated social competence was associated with individual differences in both theory of mind and children's motivation to develop and maintain social relationships. Results suggest that while individual differences in social motivation and theory of mind are partially overlapping, both theory of mind ability and social motivation contribute to successful social interaction at school.
(© 2021 The Authors. Developmental Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

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215006/Z/18/Z United Kingdom WT_ Wellcome Trust

Keywords: adolescence; individual differences; middle childhood; social competence; social motivation; theory of mind

Date Created: 20210708 Date Completed: 20220307 Latest Revision: 20220307

20240829

10.1111/desc.13137

34235829