The impact of bilingualism on theory of mind in children with and without developmental disorders: A scoping review
DOKPE
- Baumeister, Franziska ORCID University of Fribourg
- Bagioka, Dafni Vaia ORCID University of Patras, Greece
- Rivoletti, Laura ORCID University of Zurich, Switzerland
- Durrleman, Stephanie ORCID University of Fribourg
- 2025
Published in:
- Developmental Review. - Elsevier BV. - 2025, vol. 75, p. 1-21
Bilingualism
Social cognition
Theory of mind
Children
Hypotheses on the impact of bilingualism
Theory of mind tasks
Scoping review
English
Findings across studies investigating the impact of bilingualism on Theory of Mind (ToM) in children have been mixed, potentially due to methodological differences, including variations in the characterization of bilingualism. At the same time, researchers express the need to take into account the heterogeneity of bilingualism by measuring it in a continuous manner.
This scoping review aimed to explore how previous research identifies important bilingualism variables for future studies on its effects on ToM in children with and without developmental disorders. It analysed the studies’ ‘reasoning frameworks’ to assess these insights. Bilingualism is suggested to influence ToM directly or via factors like executive functioning or metalinguistic awareness. Of 37 studies analysed, few fully tested these hypotheses. Those reporting positive outcomes often involved bilinguals with significant language exposure, supporting the idea that bilingualism impacts ToM, particularly when exposure is considered.
This scoping review aimed to explore how previous research identifies important bilingualism variables for future studies on its effects on ToM in children with and without developmental disorders. It analysed the studies’ ‘reasoning frameworks’ to assess these insights. Bilingualism is suggested to influence ToM directly or via factors like executive functioning or metalinguistic awareness. Of 37 studies analysed, few fully tested these hypotheses. Those reporting positive outcomes often involved bilinguals with significant language exposure, supporting the idea that bilingualism impacts ToM, particularly when exposure is considered.
- Faculty
- Faculté des sciences et de médecine
- Department
- Médecine 3ème année
- Language
-
- English
- Classification
- Medicine
- License
- CC BY-NC-ND
- Open access status
- hybrid
- Identifiers
-
- DOI 10.1016/j.dr.2025.101186
- ISSN 0273-2297
- ISSN 1090-2406
- Persistent URL
- https://folia.unifr.ch/unifr/documents/331018
Statistics
Document views: 11
File downloads:
- 1-s2.0-s0273229725000012-main.pdf: 7