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The Relationship Between Theory of Mind and Executive Function in a Sample of Children from Mainland China

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Abstract

To explore the relationship between theory of mind (ToM) and executive function (EF) in a sample of individuals from mainland China, 20 children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), 26 children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and 30 normal control subjects were compared on two batteries of ToM tasks and EF tasks. Children with ASD had a significant theory of mind impairment relative to the other controls, while non-verbal IQ removed group differences in executive function. ToM was significantly correlated with inhibitory control. Performance on inhibitory control tasks, however, did not affect performance on ToM tasks.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Layan Zhang, Yu Ding, and Gang Zhang, Medical Psychological Research Center, the Second Xiangya Hospital for assistance in sampling work, and Anton van Hamel, Department of Psychology, McGill University for proofreading work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Clinical Psychological Research Center of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, People’s Republic of China

    Juan Yang, Shijie Zhou, Shuqiao Yao & Linyan Su

  2. Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada

    Chad McWhinnie

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  1. Juan Yang
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  2. Shijie Zhou
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  3. Shuqiao Yao
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  4. Linyan Su
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Correspondence to Shijie Zhou.

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Yang, J., Zhou, S., Yao, S. et al. The Relationship Between Theory of Mind and Executive Function in a Sample of Children from Mainland China. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 40, 169–182 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-008-0119-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-008-0119-4

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