School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Dev Psychol. 2011 Sep;47(5):1239-47. doi: 10.1037/a0023899.
To examine cultural contrasts in the ordered sequence of conceptual developments leading to theory of mind (ToM), we compared 135 3- to 6-year-olds (77 Australians; 58 Iranians) on an established 5-step ToM scale (Wellman & Liu, 2004). There was a cross-cultural difference in the sequencing of ToM steps but not in overall rates of ToM mastery. In line with our predictions, the children from Iran conformed to a distinctive sequence previously observed only in children in China. In contrast to the case with children from Australia (and the United States), knowledge access was understood earlier than opinion diversity in children from Iran, consistent with this collectivist culture's emphasis on filial respect, dispute avoidance, and acquiring knowledge. Having a sibling was linked with faster overall ToM progress in Australia only and was not related to scale sequences in either culture.
为了研究导致心理理论（ToM）的概念发展有序序列中的文化差异，我们在一个已建立的 5 步 ToM 量表（Wellman & Liu，2004）上比较了 135 名 3 至 6 岁的儿童（77 名澳大利亚儿童；58 名伊朗儿童）。在 ToM 步骤的排序上存在跨文化差异，但在整体 ToM 掌握率上没有差异。与我们的预测一致，来自伊朗的儿童符合先前仅在中国儿童中观察到的独特序列。与来自澳大利亚（和美国）的儿童不同，在伊朗儿童中，知识获取比意见多样性更早被理解，这与这种集体主义文化对孝顺、避免争议和获取知识的重视是一致的。在澳大利亚，有兄弟姐妹与整体 ToM 进展更快有关，而与两种文化的量表序列均无关。
