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The Role of Parent Talk in Connected and Unconnected Conversations on Children's Theory-of-Mind Development

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Title: The Role of Parent Talk in Connected and Unconnected Conversations on Children's Theory-of-Mind Development
Language: English
Authors: Aastha Puri (ORCID 0009-0005-1392-8654), Annette M. E. Henderson, Shivani Kershaw, Ted Ruffman
Source: Developmental Psychology. 2025 61(10):1916-1926.
Availability: American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 11
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Parents, Speech, Theory of Mind, Child Development, Psychological Patterns, Parent Child Relationship, Toddlers, Vocabulary, Language Acquisition, Social Development, Cognitive Development, Foreign Countries, Language Skills
Geographic Terms: New Zealand
Assessment and Survey Identifiers: MacArthur Bates Communicative Development Inventories
DOI: 10.1037/dev0001964
ISSN: 0012-1649
1939-0599
Abstract: Previous studies have consistently found a positive relationship between parental mental state talk (MST) about desires, emotions, and cognitions as crucial for children's subsequent theory-of-mind development. The present study examined whether connected conversations between the parent and child yielded more parental MST. We employed a within-subjects longitudinal design, testing 48 parents and their children (18- to 26-month-olds) in a series of social games, exploring how parents' quality of talk (defined as initiated, connected, or failed) influenced the content of their talk (MST vs. non-MST). Our findings revealed that parents' use of mental state terms in failed talk (talk that was not connected) at the initial time point was related to children's longitudinal mental state vocabulary acquisition, whereas parents' use of mental state terms in connected talk (when children's subsequent utterance was semantically connected to the parent's) was not. This positive influence of failed parental MST on children's mental state vocabulary was significant even after controlling for potential confounds including children's age, baseline internal state vocabulary, general vocabulary, and connected parent MST. Thus, our results provide compelling evidence that children can learn from conversations that appear disconnected and still learn about mental states when they appear "inattentive," informing strategies aimed at enriching their learning and nurturing their social development.
Abstractor: As Provided
Notes: https://osf.io/fznhx
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1502574
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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PubType: Academic Journal
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  Data: The Role of Parent Talk in Connected and Unconnected Conversations on Children's Theory-of-Mind Development
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Aastha+Puri%22">Aastha Puri</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0009-0005-1392-8654">0009-0005-1392-8654</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Annette+M%2E+E%2E+Henderson%22">Annette M. E. Henderson</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Shivani+Kershaw%22">Shivani Kershaw</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ted+Ruffman%22">Ted Ruffman</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Developmental+Psychology%22"><i>Developmental Psychology</i></searchLink>. 2025 61(10):1916-1926.
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  Data: American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org
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  Data: Y
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  Data: 11
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  Data: 2025
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  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Parents%22">Parents</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Speech%22">Speech</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Theory+of+Mind%22">Theory of Mind</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Child+Development%22">Child Development</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychological+Patterns%22">Psychological Patterns</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Parent+Child+Relationship%22">Parent Child Relationship</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Toddlers%22">Toddlers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Vocabulary%22">Vocabulary</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+Acquisition%22">Language Acquisition</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+Development%22">Social Development</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cognitive+Development%22">Cognitive Development</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+Skills%22">Language Skills</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22New+Zealand%22">New Zealand</searchLink>
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  Label: Assessment and Survey Identifiers
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SU" term="%22MacArthur+Bates+Communicative+Development+Inventories%22">MacArthur Bates Communicative Development Inventories</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1037/dev0001964
– Name: ISSN
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  Data: 0012-1649<br />1939-0599
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Previous studies have consistently found a positive relationship between parental mental state talk (MST) about desires, emotions, and cognitions as crucial for children's subsequent theory-of-mind development. The present study examined whether connected conversations between the parent and child yielded more parental MST. We employed a within-subjects longitudinal design, testing 48 parents and their children (18- to 26-month-olds) in a series of social games, exploring how parents' quality of talk (defined as initiated, connected, or failed) influenced the content of their talk (MST vs. non-MST). Our findings revealed that parents' use of mental state terms in failed talk (talk that was not connected) at the initial time point was related to children's longitudinal mental state vocabulary acquisition, whereas parents' use of mental state terms in connected talk (when children's subsequent utterance was semantically connected to the parent's) was not. This positive influence of failed parental MST on children's mental state vocabulary was significant even after controlling for potential confounds including children's age, baseline internal state vocabulary, general vocabulary, and connected parent MST. Thus, our results provide compelling evidence that children can learn from conversations that appear disconnected and still learn about mental states when they appear "inattentive," informing strategies aimed at enriching their learning and nurturing their social development.
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  Label: Abstractor
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  Data: As Provided
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  Data: https://osf.io/fznhx
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  Label: Entry Date
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  Data: 2026
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  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: EJ1502574
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1502574
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        PageCount: 11
        StartPage: 1916
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      – SubjectFull: Parents
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Speech
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      – SubjectFull: Theory of Mind
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      – SubjectFull: New Zealand
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      – SubjectFull: MacArthur Bates Communicative Development Inventories
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