The Mind-Mindedness: Is It a Construct that Shapes Theory of Mind?

Abstract

Mind-mindedness refers to the caregivers’ ability to be sensitive to the cognitive and emotional states of their children. It may also pertain to the extent to which caregivers are able to accurately perceive the behavior of their infants and children. Mind-mindedness is operationalized through the assessment of remarks made by individuals regarding the behavior of infants, distinguishing between those that are pertinent and those that are not. In that context, infants’ comprehension, and engagement with their environment through their caregivers is the basis for their cognitive development. It is widely reported that the mind-mindedness of caregivers, especially of mothers is positively correlated with children’s cognitive abilities such as linguistic abilities, symbolic play, executive functions, and/or theory of mind. In this review paper, it is aimed to provide a summary of the definition and the measurement of mind-mindedness within the scope of recent studies focusing theory of mind and cognitive development of children. Since the concept has not been examined vastly in diverse cultural contexts yet, and it is not as popular as it should be among the social scientists and practitioners, it is vital to be aware of this relatively new construct.

Keywords

• Mind-Mindedness
• Theory of Mind
• Mothers
• Infancy
• Cognitive Development

Zihin Yönelimliliği: Zihin Kuramını Şekillendiren Bir Kavram mıdır?

Abstract

Zihin-yönelimliliği, annelerin çocuklarının bilişsel ve duygusal durumlarına duyarlı ve ilgili tepki verme becerilerini ifade eden ve annelerin bebeklerinin davranışlarını doğru bir şekilde algılayabilme derecesiyle de ilişkili olan bir kavramdır. Yetişkinlerin, bebeklerin davranışlarıyla ilgili yaptıkları yorumların değerlendirilmesi yoluyla tanımlanan zihin yönelimliliği, gerçekten bebekle ilgili ve yerinde olan çıkarımlar ile ilişkili olmayanlar üzerinden değerlendirilir. Bu bağlam içerisinde, bebeklerin anneleri aracılığıyla çevreleriyle anlam ve etkileşim kurmaları, bilişsel gelişimlerinin temelini oluşturmaktadır. Annelerin zihin-yönelimliliğinin, çocukların zihin kuramı, yönetici zihinsel işlevler, sembolik oyun ve/veya dil becerileri gibi bilişsel yetenekleriyle pozitif yönlü ilişkili olduğu yapılan araştırmalar kapsamında raporlanmıştır. Bu derleme makalesinde, son yıllarda yapılan zihin kuramına ve bebeklerin bilişsel gelişim özelliklerine odaklanan çalışmalar incelenerek, zihin-yönelimliliğinin tanımı ve ölçümüne dair kısa bir özet sunulması ve zihin-yönelimliliğinin zihin kuramı üzerinden kavramsallaştırılması amaçlanmıştır. Zihin-yönelimliliğinin oldukça yeni bir kavram olduğunun göz önünde bulundurulması ve farklı kültürel bağlamlarda incelenmesi oldukça önemlidir. Buna ek olarak, zihin yönelimliliğinin hem ebeveynler hem sosyal bilimciler hem de uygulayıcılar tarafından dikkate alınarak, çocukların bilişsel becerilerinin üzerindeki etkisinin incelenmesi kritiktir.

Keywords

• Zihin-Yönelimliliği
• Zihin Kuramı
• Annelik
• Bebeklik Dönemi
• Bilişsel Gelişim

References

1. Aldrich, N. J., Chen, J. & Alfieri, L. (2021). Evaluating associations between parental mind-mindedness and children’s developmental capacities through meta-analysis. Developmental Review, 60, 100946. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2021.100946
2. Arnott, B. & Meins, E. (2008). Continuity in mind-mindedness from pregnancy to the first year of life. Infant Behavior and Development, 31, 647-654. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2008.07.001
3. Bernier, A., McMahon, C. A. & Perrier, R. (2017). Maternal mind-mindedness and children’s school readiness: A longitudinal study of developmental processes. Developmental Psychology, 53(2), 210-221. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/dev0000225
4. Bigelow, A. E., Power, M. & Dadgar, H. (2023). Maternal mind-mindedness over infants’ first three months. Infant Behavior and Development, 72, 101864. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2023.101864
5. Bigelow, A. E., Power, M., Bulmer, M. & Gerrior, K. (2015). The relation between mothers’ mirroring of infants’ behavior and maternal mind-mindedness. Infancy, 20(3), 263-282. https://doi.org/10.1111/infa.12079
6. Centifanti, L. C. M., Meins, E. & Fernyhough, C. (2016). Callous-unemotional traits and impulsivity: distinct longitudinal relations with mind-mindedness and understanding of others. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 57(1), 84-92. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12445
7. Colonnesi, C., van Polanen, M., Tavecchio, L. W. C. & Fukkink, R. G. (2017). Mind-mindedness of male and female caregivers in childcare and the relation to sensitivity and attachment: An exploratory study. Infant Behavior and Development, 48, 134-146. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2017.04.006
8. Costantini, A., Coppola, G., Fasolo, M. & Cassibba, A. (2017). Preterm birth enhances the contribution of mothers’ mind-mindedness to infants’ expressive language development: A longitudinal investigation. Infant Behavior and Development, 49, 322-329. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2017.10.006

9. Demirkan, E. & Yeşilyaprak, Y. (2023). Annelerin duygu düzenleme becerileri ve zihin yönelimlilikleri ile çocuklarının duygu düzenleme becerileri arasındaki bağlantıların incelenmesi. Erciyes Akademi, 37(1), 242-260. https://doi.org/10.48070/erciyesakademi.1225491
10. Devine, R. T. & Hughes, C. (2017). Let’s talk: Parents’ mental talk (not mind-mindedness or mindreading capacity) predicts children’s false belief understanding. Child Development, 90(4),1236-1253. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12990
11. Dore, R. A. & Lillard, A. S. (2014). Do children prefer mentalistic descriptions? The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 175(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221325.2013.805712
12. Easterbrooks, M. A., Crossman, M. K., Caruso, A., Raskin, M. & Miranda-Julian, C. (2017). Maternal mind-mindedness and toddler behavior problems: The moderating role of maternal trauma and posttraumatic stress. Development and Psychopathology, 29(4), 1431-1442. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579417000360 Farrow, C. & Blissett, J. (2014). Maternal mind-mindedness during infancy, general parenting sensitivity and observed child feeding behavior: a longitudinal study. Attachment & Human Development, 16(3), 230-241. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2014.898158
13. Fernyhough, C. (2011). Where mind-mindedness comes from. Retrieved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-voices-within/201103/where-mind-mindedness-comes
14. Fishburn, S., Meins, E., Greenhow, S., Jones, C., Hackett, S., Biehal, N., Baldwin, H., Cusworth, L. & Wade, J. (2017). Mind-mindedness in parents of looked-after children. Developmental Psychology, 53(10), 1954-1965. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/dev0000304
15. Fleming, J. (2004). Piaget and cognitive development. Chapter 4. Retrieved from: https://www.scribd.com/document/344977243/Piaget-and-Cognitive-Development-Fleming-2004-pdf
16. Giovanelli, C., Di Dio, C., Lombardi, E., Tagini, A., Meins, E., Marchetti, A. & Carli, L. (2020). Exploring the relation between maternal mind‐mindedness and children’s symbolic play: A longitudinal study from 6 to 18 months. Infancy, 25(1), 67-83. http://dx.doi.org/110.1111/infa.12317
17. Güner Algan, A. (2021). Okul öncesi çocuklarında bağlanma temsilleri ile annelerin duyarlılığı, zihin yönelimi ve çocukların mizacı arasındaki ilişkilerin incelenmesi (Doctoral Dissertation). İstanbul University.
18. Hughes, C., Devine, R. T. & Wang, Z. (2018). Does parental mind-mindedness account for cross cultural differences in preschoolers’ theory of mind? Child Development, 89(4), 1296-1310. http://dx.doi.org/110.1111/cdev.12746
19. Karaalioğlu, L. (2024). Ebeveyn yetkinliğinin zihin kuramı gelişimi üzerindeki etkisi: Zihin yönelimliliğinin aracı rolü (Master Thesis). Maltepe University.
20. Kirk, E., Pine, K., Wheatley, L., Howlett, N., Schulz, J. & Flecther, B. (2015). A longitudinal investigation of the relationship between maternal mind-mindedness and theory of mind. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 33, 434-445. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bjdp.12104
21. Laranjo, J., Bernier, A., Meins, E. & Carlson, S. M. (2010). Early manifestations of children’s theory of mind: the roles of maternal mind-mindedness and infant security of attachment. Infancy, 15(3), 300-323. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-7078.2009.00014.x
22. Laranjo, J., Bernier, A., Meins, E. & Carlson, S. M. (2014). The roles of maternal mind- mindedness and infant security of attachment in predicting preschoolers’ understanding of visual perspective taking and false belief. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 125, 48-62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2014.02.005
23. Larkin, F., Hayiou-Thomas, M. E., Arshad, Z., Leonard, M., Williams, F. J., Katseniou, N., Malouta, R. N., Marshall C. R. P., Diamantopoulou, M., Tang, E., Mani, S. & Meins, E. (2021). Mind mindedness and stress in parents of children with developmental disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 51, 600-612. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04570-9
24. Larkin, F., Schacht, R., Oostenbroek, J., Hayward, E., Fernyhough, C., Munoz Centifanti, L. C. & Meins, E. (2020). Mind‐mindedness versus mentalistic interpretations of behavior: Is mind‐mindedness a relational construct? Infant Mental Health Journal, 42(2), 176-187. https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.21901
25. Licata, M., Kristen, S. & Sodian, B. (2016). Mother-child interaction as a cradle of theory of mind: The role of maternal emotional availability. Social Development, 25(1), 139-156. https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12131
26. Lundy, B. L. (2013). Paternal and maternal mind-mindedness and preschoolers’ theory of mind: Th mediating role of interactional attunement. Social Development, 22(1), 58-74. https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12009 Lundy, B. L. & Fyfe, G. (2016). Preschoolers’ mind-related comments during collaborative problem-solving: Parental contributions and developmental outcomes. Social Development, 25(4),722-74. https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12176
27. McMahon, C., Camberis, A., Berry, S. & Gibson, F. (2016). Maternal mind-mindedness: relations with maternal-fetal attachment and stability in the first two years of life: Findings from an Australian prospective study. Infant Mental Health Journal, 37(1), 17-28. https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.21548
28. Meins, E. & Fernyhough, C. (1999). Linguistic acquisitional style and mentalizing development: The role of maternal mind-mindedness. Cognitive Development, 14, 363-380.
29. Meins, E. & Fernyhough, C. (2015). Mind-mindedness coding manual, Version 2.2. Unpublished manuscript. University of York, York, UK.
30. Meins, E., Fernyhough, C., Wainwright, R., Das Gupta, M., Fradley, E. & Tuckey, M. (2002). Maternal mind-mindedness and attachment security as predictors of theory of mind understanding. Child Development, 73(6), 1715-1726.
31. Meins, E., Fernyhough, C., Wainwright, R., Clark-Carter, D., Das Gupta, M., Fradley, E. & Tuckey, M. (2003). Pathways to understanding mind: Construct validity and predictive validity of maternal mind-mindedness. Child Development, 74(4), 1194-1211.
32. Meins, E., Fernyhough, C. & Russell, J. (1998). Security of attachment as a predictor of symbolic and mentalizing abilities: A longitudinal study. Social Development, 7(1), 1-24.
33. Meins, E., Fernyhough, C., Arnott, B., Leekam, S. R. & de Rosnay, M. (2013). Mind-mindedness and theory of mind: Mediating roles of language and perspectival symbolic play. Child Development, 84(5), 1777-1790. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12061
34. Meins, E., Fernyhough, C., Arnott, B., Turner, M. & Leekam, S. R. (2011). Mother-versus infant-centered correlates of maternal mind-mindedness in the first year of life. Infancy, 16(2), 137-165. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-7078.2010.00039.x
35. Meins, E., Fernyhough, C., Fradley, E. & Tuckey, M. (2001). Rethinking maternal sensitivity: Mothers’ comments on infants’ mental processes predict security of attachment at 12 months. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 42(5), 637-648.
36. Milligan, K., Khoury, J. E., Benoit, D. & Atkinson, L. (2015). Maternal attachment and mind-mindedness: The role of emotional specificity. Attachment & Human Development, 17(3), 302-318. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2014.996573
37. Sahin-Acar, B. & Leichtman, M. L. (2015) Mother–child memory conversations and self-construal in Eastern Turkey, Western Turkey and the USA. Memory, 23(1), 69-82. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2014.935437
38. Wang, L., Zhu, L. & Wang, Z. (2017). Parental mind-mindedness but not false belief understanding predicts Hong Kong children’s lie-telling behavior in a temptation resistance task. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 162, 89-100. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2017.04.023
39. Wellman, H. M. (2017). The development of theory of mind: Historical reflections. Child Development Perspectives, 11(3), 207-214. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12236
40. Yılmaz, E. (2017). Annenin zihin yönelimliliğinin okul öncesi çocukların kendini düzenleme becerileri üzerindeki yordayıcı etkisi (Master Thesis). İstanbul University.
41. Zhang, J. (2022). The influence of Piaget in the field of learning science. High. Educ. Stud. 12, 162–168. https://doi.org/10.5539/hes.v12n3p162