Cavallini Elena, Lecce Serena, Bottiroli Sara, Palladino Paola, Pagnin Adriano
University of Pavia, Italy.
Int J Aging Hum Dev. 2013;76(3):181-98. doi: 10.2190/AG.76.3.a.
Theory of mind (ToM) refers to humans' ability to recognize the existence of mental states, such as beliefs, emotions, and desires. The literature on ToM in aging and on the relationship between ToM and other cognitive functions, like executive functions, is not homogenous. The aim of the present study was to explore the course of ToM and to investigate the role of working memory, inhibition, and language on the possible age differences in ToM. To address these issues, we examined ToM using the Strange Stories task and executive function task in three age groups. Results showed that young adults outperform both old groups on the ToM stories. This difference remains significant also when controlling for working memory and inhibitory control. Our findings suggest a specific impairment in inferring mental states starting from 60 years of age that seems to be independent of changes in executive functions.
心理理论（ToM）指人类识别心理状态（如信念、情感和欲望）存在的能力。关于衰老过程中的心理理论以及心理理论与其他认知功能（如执行功能）之间关系的文献并不统一。本研究的目的是探讨心理理论的发展过程，并研究工作记忆、抑制能力和语言在心理理论可能存在的年龄差异中所起的作用。为解决这些问题，我们在三个年龄组中使用“奇怪故事”任务和执行功能任务来检验心理理论。结果表明，在心理理论故事方面，年轻成年人的表现优于两个老年组。在控制了工作记忆和抑制控制后，这种差异仍然显著。我们的研究结果表明，从60岁开始，在推断心理状态方面存在特定损伤，这似乎与执行功能的变化无关。
