Parent-child Mental State Talk and Narrative Comprehension: Evidence from Naturalistic Conversations with Chinese Preschoolers

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Friday 1:45 pm
  In Poster Session: Research Exploring Contextual Influences across the Lifespan: Grounded in Theories of Human Development

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between parent-child mental state talk (MST) and preschoolers’ narrative comprehension in Mandarin-speaking families in China. Forty-eight dyads participated in naturalistic conversations, which were analyzed for MST. Children’s narrative comprehension was assessed at two time points, one month apart, using the Mandarin version of the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives. Multiple regression showed that children’s MST significantly predicted their later comprehension, above and beyond baseline scores. A Bayesian structural equation model further revealed that parent MST indirectly supported comprehension via its effect on child MST. Findings highlight the scaffolding of parent MST and the active role of children’s MST in narrative comprehension and emphasize culturally sensitive perspectives on socio-cognitive development through everyday conversation in early childhood.

Authors

• Yifei Phoebe Wang, University of California - Los Angeles

• Yawen Yu, University of California - Los Angeles

• Alison L. Bailey, University of California - Los Angeles