Vishwanath Rashmi, Kamath Avinash G, Thomas Nitha, Guddattu Vasudev, Praharaj Samir Kumar
Department of Psychiatry, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India.
Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Manipal, Karnataka, India; PhD Scholar, Christ University, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Asian J Psychiatr. 2023 Mar;81:103443. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2022.103443. Epub 2022 Dec 29.
Theory of Mind (ToM) is an important part of children's social cognitive development. The pattern of ToM acquisition depends on many factors including culture, the number of family members, and siblings. This study aimed to examine the pattern of ToM acquisition in Indian culture.
We conducted a cross-sectional study among preschool children (three to six years) (N = 118) from rural and urban backgrounds. ToM development was assessed using the Wellman and Liu Theory of Mind Scale and the Children's Social Understanding Scale (parent report).
The order of acquisition of ToM in Indian children was as follows: diverse desire> diverse belief> knowledge access> explicit false belief> content false belief> hidden emotion. The number of siblings positively correlated with the total ToM task score, and the number of adults in the family did not show any positive correlation.
Although India is a collectivistic country, the acquisition pattern of ToM in our population was like that of individualistic countries such as the United States.
心理理论（ToM）是儿童社会认知发展的重要组成部分。心理理论的习得模式取决于许多因素，包括文化、家庭成员数量和兄弟姐妹情况。本研究旨在探讨印度文化中心理理论的习得模式。
我们对来自农村和城市背景的学龄前儿童（3至6岁）（N = 118）进行了一项横断面研究。使用韦尔曼和刘的心理理论量表以及儿童社会理解量表（家长报告）评估心理理论发展情况。
印度儿童心理理论的习得顺序如下：不同欲望>不同信念>知识通达>明确错误信念>内容错误信念>隐藏情绪。兄弟姐妹的数量与心理理论任务总分呈正相关，而家庭中成年人的数量未显示出任何正相关。
尽管印度是一个集体主义国家，但我们研究人群中心理理论的习得模式与美国等个人主义国家相似。
