The relationship between theory of mind and social competence evaluated by peers

Theory of Mind (ToM) is the capacity to understand one's own and other people's mental states and to refer to them to explain behavior. ToM development has consequences for children’s social functioning: children with more developed ToM are better communicators and can resolve conflicts with their friends (Dunn, 1996), they are also happier at school and more popular with peers (Astington, 2003). The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between ToM and peer evaluation of defined social variables. Two tests were administered to 124 children of the 3°,4° and 5° grade (mean age=9,64; SD=0,9): the Italian "Vocal Test about Mental States" (TVSM) (Liverta Sempio, Cavalli, Fabio, Marchetti, 2009) and a peer-nomination questionnaire. The results showed significant correlations between TVSM scores and peer nominations for leadership and ability to judge variables, as well as for Social Preference Index; differences by scholar grade were found. Therefore, in general, children aged from 9 to 11 better evaluate classmates with higher ToM skills. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed