¿El entrenamiento en lectura de creencias puede influir sobre la competencia pragmática?: un estudio sobre las relaciones de estas capacidades cognitivas en la infancia

Abstract

In order to investigate the influence of belief-reading on pragmatic competence, 56 children between 48 and 54 months old, belonging to the program Buen Comienzo [Good Start] in the city of Medellín, participated in a pre-post experimental design with a control group. For the evaluation of belief-reading, four tests of the Wellman and Liu (2004) Scale were adapted to Spanish; while for the evaluation of pragmatic competence, four communicative situations proposed by Sacco et., al. (2008) were adapted. For the manipulation of the variable, 10 training sessions in belief-reading were carried out. According to the intragroup results, the training program was effective in improving the trained variable, as the experimental group improved its performance in belief reading (p=,007; d= -,663) and pragmatic competence (p=,007; d=,648). However, although significant differences were found between the experimental group and the control group for belief reading (p=,001; d=,472), this was not the case for performance in pragmatic competence (p=,340; d=,143). In light of these results, it is not possible to ensure a relationship of influence of belief reading on pragmatic competence. Nevertheless, a satisfactory linear regression model was found when sociodemographic variables were included in the analyzes. The need to integrate context variables when inquiring about a possible relationship of influence of one psychological variable on another is discussed.

Keywords:

Theory of mind Pragmatic competence Preschool children Training

References

Ato, M., López, J., & Benavente, A. (2013). Un sistema de clasificación de los diseños de investigación en psicología. Anales de Psicología, 29(3), 1038-1059, http://dx.doi. org/10.6018/analesps.29.3.178511

Baixauli-Fortea, I., Casas, M., Berenguer-Forner, A. Colomer- Diago, C., & Roselló-Miranda, B. (2017). Pragmatic competence of children with autism spectrum disorder. Impact of theory of mind, verbal working memory, ADHD symp¬toms, and structural language. Applied Neuropsychology: Child, 8(2), 101-112. https://doi.org/10.1080/21622965.20 17.1392861

Belinchón, M., Igoa, J., & Rivière, A. (2004). Psicología del lenguaje. Investigación y teoría (6. ª ed.). Trotta S. A.

Bermúdez, M. (2009). Teorías infantiles de la mente y lenguaje: ¿un problema de huevo o gallina? Revista Iberoamericana de Psicología, 2(1), 67-85. http://dx.doi.org/10.33881/2027- 1786.rip.2209

Bosco, F. M., & Gabbatore, I. (2017). Sincere, Deceitful, and Ironic Communicative Acts and the Role of the Theory of Mind in Childhood. Frontiers in Psychology, 8(21). https:// doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00021

Bosco, F. M., Parola, A., Sacco, K., Zettin, M., & Angeleri, R. (2017). Communicative-pragmatic disorders in traumatic brain injury: The role of theory of mind and executive functions. Brain and Language, 168, 73-83. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.bandl.2017.01.007

Bosco, F. M., Tirassa, M., & Gabbatore, I. (2018). Why pragmatics and Theory of Mind do not (Completely) overlap. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.3389/ fpsyg.2018.01453

Cerpa, L., & Yepes, E. (2020). Relación entre Lectura de creen¬cias y Competencia Pragmática y su evolución luego de un entrenamiento en Lectura de creencias [Tesis de pregrado no publicada]. Universidad de Antioquia.

Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística [DANE]. (15 de abril de 2021). Estratificación socioeconómica. https:// www.dane.gov.co/index.php/servicios-al-ciudadano/116- espanol/informacion-georreferenciada/2421-estratificación-socioeconomica-preguntas-frecuentes#:~:text=La%20 ESTRATIFICACI%C3%93N%20SOCIOECON%C3%93 MICA%20es%20la,(Ley%20142%20de%201994)

Deleau, M. (2012). Language and theory of mind: Why pragmatics matter. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 9(3), 295-312. https://doi.org/10.1080/174056 29.2012.680303

Dunn, J., Brown, J., & Beardsall, L. (1991). Family talk about feeling states and children’s later understanding of others’ emotions. Developmental Psychology, 27(3), 448-455. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.27.3.448

Fujino, H., Fukushima, K., & Fujiyoshi, A. (2017). Theory of mind and language development in Japanese children with hearing loss. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, 96, 77-83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijporl.2017.03.005

Gutiérrez-Ordóñez, S. (22-25 de septiembre de 2005). Ejercitarás la competencia pragmática. XVI Congreso Internacional de la ASELE: la Competencia Pragmática o la Enseñanza del Español como Lengua Extranjera. Oviedo. https://cvc.cervantes.es/ensenanza/biblioteca_ele/asele/pdf/16/16_0025.pdf

Hale, C. M., & Tager-Flusberg, H. (2003). The influence of language on theory of mind: a training study. Developmental Science, 6(3), 346-359. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-7687.00289

Jenkins, J. M., & Astington, J. (1996). Cognitive factors and family structure associated with theory of mind development in young children. Developmental Psychology, 32(1), 70-78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.32.1.70

Jones, A. C., Gutierrez, R., & Ludlow, A. K. (2015). Confronting the language barrier: Theory of mind in deaf children. Journal of Communication Disorders, 56, 47-58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2015.06.005

Lecce, S., Bianco, F., Demicheli, P., & Cavallini, E. (2014). Training Preschoolers on First-Order False Belief Understanding: Transfer on Advanced TdM Skills and Metamemory. Child Development, 85(6), 2404-2418. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12267

Lecce, S., Ronchi, L., Del Sette, P., Bischetti, L., & Bambini, V. (2018). Interpreting physical and mental metaphors: Is Theory of Mind associated with pragmatics in middle childhood? Journal of Child Language, 46(2), 393-407. https://doi.org/10.1017/s030500091800048x

Lohmann, H., & Tomasello, M. (2003). The Role of Language in the Development of False Belief Understanding: A Training Study. Child Development, 74(4), 1130-1144. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00597

McMahon, C., & Bernier, A. (2017). Twenty years of research on parental mind-mindedness: Empirical findings, theoretical and methodological challenges, and new directions. Developmental Review, 46, 54-80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2017.07.001

Mendoza-Lara, E., & López-Herrero, P. (2004). Consideraciones sobre el desarrollo de la teoría de la mente (TdM) y el lenguaje. Revista de Psicología General y Aplicada, 57(1), 49-67. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/856428.pdf

Milligan, K., Astington, J., & Dack, L. (2007). Language and Theory of Mind: Meta-Analysis of the Relation Between Language Ability and False-belief Understanding. Child Development, 78(2), 622-646. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01018.x

Muhinyi, A., & Rowe, M. (2019). Shared reading with pre¬verbal infants and later language development. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 64, 101053. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2019.101053

Parola, A., Berardinelli, L., & Bosco, F. M. (2018). Cognitive abilities and theory of mind in explaining communica¬tive-pragmatic disorders in patients with schizophre¬nia. Psychiatry Research, 260, 144-151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2017.11.051

Perner, J., Ruffman, T., & Leekman, S. R. (1994). Theory of mind is contagious: You catch it from four sibs. Child Development, 65(4), 1228-1238. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1994.tb00814.x

Peterson, C. C. (2000). Kindred spirits: Influences of si¬blings’ perspectives on theory of mind. Cognitive Development, 15(4), 435-455. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0885-2014(01)00040

Poulin-Dubois, D. (2020). Theory of mind development: state of the science and future directions. Progress in Brain Research, 254, 141-166. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.pbr.2020.05.021

Prime, H., Plamondon, A., Pauker, S., Perlman, M., & Jenkins, J. M. (2016). Sibling cognitive sensitivity as a moderator of the relationship between sibship size and children’s theory of mind: a longitudinal analysis. Cognitive Development, 39(July-September), 93-102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2016.03.005

Restrepo, X. (2020). Relaciones entre la competencia pragmá¬tica y la lectura de creencias: efectos de dos programas de entrenamiento en niños de 4 años [Tesis de maestría no publicada]. Universidad de Antioquia.

Ruffman, T., Slade, L., & Crowe, E. (2002). The Relation bet¬ween Children’s and Mothers Mental State Language and Theory-of-Mind Understanding. Child Development, 73(3), 734-751. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00435

Ruffman, T., Perner, J., & Parkin, L. (1998). Older (but not younger) siblings facilitate false belief understanding. Developmental Psychology, 34(1), 161-74. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.34.1.161

Ruffman, T., Perner, J., & Parkin, L. (1999). How parenting style affects false belief understanding. Social Development, 8(3), 395-411. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9507.00103

Ruffman, T., Puri, A., Galloway, O., Su, J., & Taumoepeau, M. (2018). Variety in parental use of “want” relates to subsequent growth in children’s theory of mind. Developmental Psychology, 54(4), 677-688. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000459

Russell, T. A., Tchanturia, K., Rahman, Q., & Schmidt, U. (2007). Sex differences in theory of mind: A male advanta¬ge on Happé’s “cartoon” task. Cognition y Emotion, 21(7), 1554-1564. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699930601117096

Sacco, K., Angeleri, R., Bosco, F., Colle L., Mate, D., & Bara, B. (2008). Assessment Battery for Communication-ABaCo: A new instrument for the evaluation of pragmatic abilities. Journal of Cognitive Science, 9(2), 111-157. https://pdfs. semanticscholar.org/4c40/ee5e22f35b95b3d71e35c79db¬36f4cbe65a6.pdf

Sante, M., Sylvestre, A., Bouchard, C., & Leblond, J. (2020). Parental behaviors associated with the level of pragma¬tic language ability among 42-month-old neglected chil¬dren. Child Abuse & Neglect, 104, 104482. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104482

Serrano, J. (2013). Desarrollo de la teoría de la mente, len¬guaje y funciones ejecutivas en niños de 4 a 12 años [Tesis doctoral]. Universidad de Girona, España. http://hdl.handle. net/10803/123549

Shin, S., Leech, K., & Rowe, M. (2020). Examining relations between parent-child narrative talk and children’s episodic foresight and theory of mind. Cognitive Development, 55, 100910. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2020.100910

Song, J., & Volling, B. (2018). Theory-of-Mind Development and Early Sibling Relationships after the Birth of a Sibling: Parental Discipline Matters. Infant & Child Development, 27(1), e2053. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.2053

Sperber, D., & Wilson, D. (2012). Pragmatics, modularity and mindreading. Meaning and Relevance, 17, 261-278. https:// doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139028370.016

Vigotsky, L. (1931/2012). El problema del desarrollo de las fun¬ciones psíquicas superiores. En Obras escogidas (Tomo 3). Machado Nuevo Aprendizaje.

Wacker, R., Bölte, S., & Dziobek, I. (2017). Women Know Better What Other Women Think and Feel: Gender Effects on Mindreading across the Adult Life Span. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, Article 1324. https://doi.org/10.3389/ fpsyg.2017.01324

Weimer, A., Rice, K., Ettekal, I., Cartwright, K., Guajardo, N., & Liew, J. (2021). Correlates and antecedents of theory of mind development during middle childhood and adolescen¬ce: An integrated model. Developmental Review, 59, Article 100945. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2020.100945

Wellman, H. M. (2014). Making minds: How theory of mind develops. Oxford University Press.

Wellman, H. M., & Liu, D. (2004). Scaling of theory-of-mind tasks. Child Development, 75(2), 523-541. https://doi. org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2004.00691.x

Westra, E. (2017). Pragmatic Development and the False Belief Task. Review of Philosophy and Psychology, 8(2), 235-257. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13164-016-0320-5

Westra, E., & Carruthers, P. (2017). Pragmatic development ex¬plains the Theory-of-Mind Scale. Cognition, 158, 165-176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2016.10.021

Woensdregt, M., & Smith, K. (2016). Pragmatics and Language Evolution. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Linguistics. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199384655.013.321

Zeegers, M., Colonnesi, C., Stam, G., & Meins, E. (2017). Mind matters: A three-level meta-analysis on parental mentalization and sensitivity as predictors of infant-Parent attachment. Psychological Bulletin, 143(12), 1245-1272. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000114

Reference by