University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC 27402, USA.
Cogn Emot. 2011 Sep;25(6):1074-86. doi: 10.1080/02699931.2010.518417. Epub 2011 May 24.
Theory of mind competence and knowledge of emotions were studied longitudinally in a sample of preschoolers aged 3 (n=263) and 4 (n=244) years. Children were assessed using standard measures of theory of mind and emotion knowledge. Three competing hypotheses were tested regarding the developmental associations between children's theory of mind abilities and their knowledge of emotions. First, that an understanding of emotion develops early and informs children's understanding of others' thinking. Alternatively, having a basic theory of mind may help children learn about emotions. Third, that the two domains are separate aspects of children's social cognitive skills such that each area develops independently. Results of hierarchical regressions supported the first hypothesis that early emotion understanding predicts later theory-of-mind performance, and not the reverse.
理论心理能力和情绪知识在一组 3 岁（n=263）和 4 岁（n=244）的学龄前儿童样本中进行了纵向研究。使用标准的心理理论和情绪知识测量方法对儿童进行评估。针对儿童心理理论能力与其情绪知识之间的发展关联，检验了三个相互竞争的假设。首先，情绪理解是早期发展的，并为儿童对他人思维的理解提供信息。其次，拥有基本的心理理论可能有助于儿童学习情绪。第三，两个领域是儿童社会认知技能的不同方面，因此每个领域都是独立发展的。层次回归的结果支持了第一个假设，即早期的情绪理解预测了后期的心理理论表现，而不是相反。
