Working memory predicts changes in children's theory of mind during middle childhood: A training study

The present study examined the role of working memory (WM) in theory of mind (ToM) changes that occur in middle childhood using a training design. The main aim was to investigate whether the extent to which children benefited from ToM training was predicted by their WM. Eighty-six children (M age = 9.67 years; SD = 7.38 months) were assigned to either a ToM (N = 46) or a control condition (N = 40). The groups were equivalent at pre-test for age, family, socioeconomic background, vocabulary, reading comprehension, WM, and ToM. Findings indicated that: i) the training promotes ToM, and ii) individual differences in WM moderated improvement in children's ToM. These results are consistent with the emergence account, according to which WM helps the development of ToM skills.