Journal
JOURNAL OF EARLY ADOLESCENCE
Volume 41, Issue 3, Pages 424-436Publisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC
DOI: 10.1177/0272431620919164
Keywords
developmental processes; gender; gender differences; social competence; middle school
Categories
Funding
- National Science Centre, Poland [UMO 2013/10/M/HS6/00544]
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The study found that females outperformed males in advanced ToM measurement among 13 and 16-year-old Polish adolescents, and that age did not significantly affect ToM performance over 18 months, although there was a slight increase in the quality of ToM explanations for the total sample.
The theory of mind (ToM) is the ability to understand mental states in others. The previous research has highlighted age- and language-dependent effects during childhood and provided inconsistent data regarding the role of gender. Notably, these variables were rarely studied simultaneously among adolescents. Accordingly, this short longitudinal study explored age and gender differences in advanced ToM among 233 13- and 16-year-old Polish adolescents. Controlling for language, results indicated that females outperformed males in advanced ToM measurement (Ambigous Stories task). No differences were revealed between younger and older adolescents over 18 months, although for the total sample, a small increase in the quality of ToM explanations was found. Implications for gender and developmentally sensitive measurements of advanced ToM are discussed.
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