The Relationship between Theory of Mind and Executive Function: Are They Two Facets of the Same Process or Two Distinct Processes?
Abstract
This dissertation examines the relationship between Theory of Mind (ToM) and Executive Function (EF). There has been debate on whether ToM and EF are two facets of the same process or are two distinct processes. Distinguishing between these possibilities empirically is challenging because the two abilities have similar developmental timetables and ToM tasks typically place high demands on EF, with the consequence that ToM and EF performance measures may be artificially correlated. Three experiments explored the nature of this relationship. Experiments 1 and 2 tested whether socio-cultural factors known to influence individual differences in EF (i.e., bilingualism, country-of-origin) extend to differences in ToM. If ToM and EF are two facets of the same process, then the pattern of differences in EF related to the socio-cultural factors and the pattern of differences in ToM should be comparable. Findings suggest that country-of-origin (but not language status) contributed to differences in EF (Experiment 1). In contrast, neither country-of-origin nor language status was associated with ToM (Experiment 2). Experiment 3 examined whether aging adults’ performance in ToM tasks improves when EF demands are reduced. The results demonstrated that older adults showed intact ToM despite their deficits in EF when reducing cognitive load in a ToM task, implying that correlations between ToM and EF performance may be artificially elevated. Implications of these findings for understanding the relationship between ToM and EF, and suggestions for future studies, are discussed.