Yu Chi-Lin, Kovelman Ioulia, Wellman Henry M
University of Michigan.
Child Dev Perspect. 2021 Sep;15(3):154-159. doi: 10.1111/cdep.12412. Epub 2021 Aug 2.
The possibility and nature of bilingual advantage for theory of mind (ToM), that is, young bilingual children outperforming their monolingual peers, have been discussed increasingly since the first research on the topic was published in 2003. Because accumulating evidence demonstrates a ToM advantage for bilingual individuals, in this article, we focus on how this advantage arises. We consider how current theoretical positions, including executive function, metalinguistic awareness, and sociolinguistic awareness accounts, explain such an advantage in young bilingual children. These theoretical accounts receive some, but only partial, support, so further research and theory are needed to understand comprehensively the relationship between bilingualism and ToM.
自2003年发表关于该主题的第一项研究以来，双语对心理理论（ToM）的优势（即双语幼儿表现优于单语同龄人）的可能性和本质受到了越来越多的讨论。由于越来越多的证据表明双语个体在心理理论方面具有优势，在本文中，我们将重点关注这种优势是如何产生的。我们思考当前的理论观点，包括执行功能、元语言意识和社会语言意识等方面的解释，如何说明双语幼儿的这种优势。这些理论解释得到了一些支持，但只是部分支持，因此需要进一步的研究和理论来全面理解双语与心理理论之间的关系。
