Exploring the Relationship Between Young Children's Theory of Mind and Their Science Inquiry

• In Event: Understanding How Young Children Reason About Science

Abstract

This exploratory study investigated the relationship between theory of mind (ToM) and science inquiry. ToM refers to children’s ability to attribute mental states to oneself and others and distinguish these two, and science inquiry is defined as the scientific reasoning involved in science experimentation. Twenty-nine children aged 3-6 participated in the sink/float science inquiry and ToM tasks. The results showed that the ability to attribute to and distinguish between one’s own and other’s belief (ToM-2) and knowledge (ToM-3) were positively correlated to science reasoning, while ToM-1 (desire) and ToM-3 were positively correlated to engagement during science inquiry. Understanding the connections can help us identify the developmental origins of and find ways to support early development of science inquiry.

Authors

• X. Christine Wang, University at Buffalo - SUNY

• Bin Lin, University at Buffalo - SUNY

• Chihiro Aoki, University at Buffalo - SUNY

• Kathryn J Andrews, University at Buffalo - SUNY