Reading comprehension, the ability to process and understand written text, is critical for academic achievement and personal and professional development. Research has identified various linguistic and non-linguistic factors influencing children's reading comprehension development. Recently, theory of mind (ToM)—the ability to understand and infer others' mental states, including intentions, thoughts, and desires—has emerged as a predictor of reading comprehension. However, the reciprocal relationship between ToM and reading comprehension remains unclear. This longitudinal study aimed to comprehensively investigate the bidirectional associations between ToM and reading comprehension in children. A sample of 689 Chinese third-grade students (49.49% girls; Mage = 9.23 years, SD = 0.66) from eight primary schools participated in the study, which followed them from grades three to five. At each time point (waves 1 to 3), students completed identical ToM and reading comprehension tasks. Cross-lagged panel model results revealed that ToM predicted subsequent reading comprehension performance, and vice versa, even after controlling for variables such as family socioeconomic status and parental education. Latent growth curve model analysis showed that initial ToM (wave 1) predicted only the initial reading comprehension level (intercept) but not the growth rate from waves 1 to 3. Similar findings emerged for the effect of reading comprehension on ToM growth rate. These results underscore the bidirectional relationship between ToM and reading comprehension, contributing to our understanding of the complex interplay between social cognition and literacy development in children.

Authors:
Xiuhong Tong, Hong Kong Education University, Hong Kong
Liyan Yu, Florida State University, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Xiuhong Tong is an Associate Professor and PhD Supervisor in the Department of Psychology at Hong Kong Education University. She specializes in first language (L1) and second language (L2) acquisition in normal children and children with dyslexia

See this presentation on the full schedule – Friday Schedule

Bookmark