How Bilingualism Informs Theory of Mind Development

The possibility and nature of bilingual advantage for theory of mind (ToM), that is, young bilingual children outperforming their monolingual peers, have been discussed increasingly since the first research on the topic was published in 2003. Because accumulating evidence demonstrates a ToM advantag...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inChild development perspectives Vol. 15; no. 3; pp. 154 - 159
Main Authors Yu, Chi‐Lin, Kovelman, Ioulia, Wellman, Henry M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Wiley 01.09.2021
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
Subjects
Accounts
Advantages
Bilingualism
Child Development
Children
Executive Function
Function
Metalinguistic awareness
Metalinguistics
Monolingualism
Peers
Sociolinguistics
Theoretical linguistics
Theory
Theory of Mind
Young Children
theory of mind
bilingualism
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Summary:The possibility and nature of bilingual advantage for theory of mind (ToM), that is, young bilingual children outperforming their monolingual peers, have been discussed increasingly since the first research on the topic was published in 2003. Because accumulating evidence demonstrates a ToM advantage for bilingual individuals, in this article, we focus on how this advantage arises. We consider how current theoretical positions, including executive function, metalinguistic awareness, and sociolinguistic awareness accounts, explain such an advantage in young bilingual children. These theoretical accounts receive some, but only partial, support, so further research and theory are needed to understand comprehensively the relationship between bilingualism and ToM.
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ISSN:1750-8592
1750-8606
DOI:10.1111/cdep.12412