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Review
. 2023 Jun 2:14:1197328.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1197328. eCollection 2023.

The promotion of mature theory of mind skills in educational settings: a mini-review

Federica Bianco  1 , Ilaria Castelli  1
Affiliations
Review

The promotion of mature theory of mind skills in educational settings: a mini-review

Federica Bianco et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

After formal school entry, theory of mind development encounters a blooming period of growth intertwined with social and academic achievements and challenges. Within this framework, in last years researchers have proposed training programs to foster mature ToM skills, but also, to test causal pathways for the role that ToM development may have in broader cognitive and social outcomes. In the current mini-review we examine which training programs have been developed so far to enhance three key aspects of mature ToM skills: second-order false belief reasoning, the ability to put one's own ToM knowledge into use, and the mentalization of thoughts and emotions. We also illustrate effects of these activities on intra- and inter- personal competence. In its conclusion the paper provides considerations of both first achievements of research in this area and gaps to be addressed in future works.

Keywords: advanced theory of mind; educational setting; mature theory of mind skills; mentalizing; promotion; second-order false belief; training.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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