A longitudinal investigation of the relationship between maternal mind-mindedness and theory of mind

Data are presented from a longitudinal investigation examining the relationship between maternal mind-mindedness in infancy and socio-cognitive development in childhood. We revisited children (n = 18) who had taken part in a longitudinal study as infants. Mind-mindedness had been assessed at 10, 12, 16, and 20 months of age. We followed-up these children at age 5 to 6 years to test their higher order Theory of Mind (measured using the Strange Stories task, Happé, 1997). The convergent validity, temporal stability, and predictive validity of the construct of mind-mindedness were examined in a longitudinal dataset. The five measures of mind-mindedness were not significantly correlated. Mother’s production of appropriate mind-related comments (but no other measures) showed evidence of temporal stability throughout infancy. Thus mind-mindedness (as measured by appropriate mind-related comments) was confirmed as a stable construct. Children’s Theory of Mind at age 5 to 6 was significantly predicted by their mother’s mind-mindedness up to four years earlier, with mind-mindedness accounting for 40% of the variance of the Strange Stories task scores. These findings identify a relationship between mind-mindedness across a protracted period of infancy and socio-cognitive development at age 5 to 6.