Science competencies and mindreading: Can a theory-of-mind training be used to promote scientific reasoning?

• In Event: Excellence in Education Research: Early Career Scholars and Their Work

Abstract

Science competencies and mindreading: Can a theory-of-mind training be used to promote scientific reasoning?

Scientific reasoning involves the skillful coordination of hypotheses and evidence. Coordinating hypotheses and evidence and recognizing that the validity of our beliefs is informed by our interpretations of evidence requires recursive reasoning. Recursive reasoning is a key aspect of mindreading and advanced theory of mind (AToM), which develop in middle childhood. This 5-year longitudinal study with 161 children aged 6 to 10 years investigates the impact of AToM on the development of scientific reasoning. Across 5 waves, the children were assessed for their scientific reasoning, AToM, and general cognitive abilities (intelligence, language abilities, executive functions). The results revealed significant developmental progressions in scientific reasoning between all waves, as well as a high stability of the individual differences: 25% of the variance in 4th-grade scientific reasoning was predicted by the kindergarten score. A growth curve analysis revealed a significant effect of AToM at 6 years on the development of scientific reasoning. However, only the effect on the intercept (and not the slope) was significant, suggesting that children with more-advanced ToM skills show a higher scientific-reasoning proficiency throughout elementary school than their peers, who do not seem to catch up. A cross-lagged panel analysis showed that AToM at 6 years predicted scientific reasoning at 7 years; there was no cross-lagged path from scientific reasoning at 6 years to AToM at 7 years, showing that AToM promotes scientific reasoning—and not the other way around. Whether the development of scientific reasoning can be fostered through ToM trainings will be discussed during the presentation.

Authors

• Christopher Osterhaus, University of Vechta

• Susanne Koerber, Freiburg University of Education