Theory of Mind (TOM) scales

The internationally widely used Theory of Mind Scale (ToM Scale; Wellman & Liu, 2004) is a measure of social competence that assesses the ability of young children to attribute mental states (e.g. beliefs, goals, desires, emotions) to other people, and to understand and predict their behavior as a function of those states. The ToM Scale consists of seven tasks that increase in difficulty.

In YOUth, five tasks of the ToM scales were assessed: diverse desires, knowledge access, contents false belief, diverse beliefs, and real-apparant emotion. The tasks consisted of a short story told by the experimenter and asking children test questions about the explained situations (e.g., "Does Karin know what is in this drawer?", "Which of these two snacks would mr. de Jong choose?").

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Keywords
Constructs
Waves
  • Baby and Child

  • 6 years
  •   C
    5.0 - 7.0 years   From 2022-07-01 to 2023-11-01

    Mode of collection MeasurementsAndTests    Behavioral/cognitive task
    Analysis unit Individual
    Instrument name Theory of Mind (TOM) scales
    Alternate name Theory of Mind (TOM) scales
    Measure name Theory of Mind (TOM) scales
    References
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