Theory-of-mind training improves children’s resistance to being lured away by strangers
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 17560258 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Qinggong Li (0009-0004-4810-8456, Zhejiang Normal University), Yujia Zhai (0000-0001-5687-0038, Zhejiang Normal University), Xiao Pan Ding (0000-0003-0836-9577, National University of Singapore, Singapore, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-23 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Behavioral Development (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0165-0254 • E-ISSN: 1464-0651 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/01650254251414357 |
| OpenAlex | W7125494307 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 54 |
Even though children are often warned about ill-intentioned strangers who might try to lure them away, they are still vulnerable to such threats. Our research tested a theory-of-mind strategy to address this problem. Study 1 ( N = 121, 58 females, 2021) replicated previous findings showing that 3- to 5-year-old Chinese children with better theory-of-mind skills were less vulnerable to being lured away by a stranger in a version of the simulated-risk paradigm used in public health research. Study 2 ( N = 47, 27 females, 2022) demonstrated that theory-of-mind training reduced 3-year-old Chinese children’s vulnerability to such threats. These results provide empirical support for the benefits of theory-of-mind training as a strategy to help protect children
Empirical research · Mental health · Public health · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Child and Animal Learning Development · Mind wandering and attention
Making Minds
Preschool Program Improves Cognitive Control
Why the Child's Theory of Mind Really Is a Theory
The Role of Language in the Development of False Belief Understanding
Scaling of Theory-of-Mind Tasks
Individual Differences in Inhibitory Control and Children's Theory of Mind
Scaling of Theory-of-Mind Understandings in Chinese Children
The moral, epistemic, and mindreading components of children’s vigilance towards deception
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Development of the appearance-reality distinction
G*Power 3
Optimistic expectations about communication explain children's difficulties in hiding, lying, and mistrusting liars
An assessment of when moral stories promote children’s honesty
Training young children in strategic deception promotes epistemic vigilance
Preschoolers monitor the relative accuracy of informants
Selective trust
Social-cognitive processes in preschoolers' selective trust
Theory of mind development in Chinese children
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |