A comparison between a mentalistic and a non-mentalistic training: Evaluation of theory of mind, cooperation and prosocial behaviour in school-aged children

The current study, conducted on 9- and 10-year-old children, aimed at evaluating the effects of two trainings - one mentalistic and one non-mentalistic - on theory of mind, cooperation and prosociality. The two trainings were compared, randomizing the sample in two groups composed by 105 children each. Theory- of-mind abilities increased more in the group assigned to the theory-of-mind condition, levels of cooperation and prosocial behaviour increased in both groups and theory of mind emerged as a significant predictor of cooperation but not of prosocial behaviour.