Pathways to Understanding Mind: Construct Validity and Predictive Validity of Maternal Mind‐Mindedness

Abstract

The construct validity of maternal mind-mindedness (MM) was investigated in the context of its relations with children's later understanding of mind. MM measures were obtained from infant-mother (N = 52) interactions at 6 months, and from maternal interviews at 48 months. Children's understanding of mind was assessed using theory of mind (ToM) tasks at 45 and 48 months, and a stream of consciousness (SoC) task at 55 months. One of the early MM measures--mothers' appropriate mind-related comments--was a positive independent predictor of: (a) MM at 48 months, and (b) ToM and SoC performance at 45 to 55 months. Path analyses suggested direct links between mothers' use of appropriate mind-related comments and children's later understanding of mind.

Mothers’ and fathers’ mind‐mindedness influences physiological emotion regulation of infants across the first year of life

“…The following pathways were modelled: (a) concurrent relations between baseline HRV and HRV decline during the stranger situation at 4 and 12 months (e.g., Izard et al., 1991; Porter et al., 1995), (b) concurrent relations between appropriate or non‐attuned mind‐related comments and baseline HRV or HRV decline at 4 and 12 months, and (c) longitudinal relations between appropriate or non‐attuned mind‐related comments and baseline HRV or HRV decline at 4 and 12 months. Previous research has shown that appropriate and non‐attuned mind‐related comments are unrelated (e.g., Meins et al., 2003, 2012). Also, in the present study we did not find concurrent and longitudinal correlations between appropriate and non‐attuned comments at 4 and 12 months.…”

“…Mind‐mindedness is defined as parents’ tendency to treat their infant as a mental agent, and is assessed during infancy as parents’ tendency to comment appropriately or in a non‐attuned manner on their infant's putative internal states during free‐play situations (Meins, 1997; Meins et al., 2001). The appropriate and non‐attuned indices reflect two orthogonal dimensions of mind‐mindedness, unrelated to each other (Meins et al., 2003, 2012). Appropriate mind‐related comments indicate attunement to and validation of the infant's internal state.…”

Constructing an understanding of mind: The development of children's social understanding within social interaction

“…Third, Vygotsky's concept of the zone of proximal development (Vygotsky 1934) provides a framework for understanding how sensitive input from caregivers can "scaffold" children's acquisition of mental state terms and concepts (Meins et al 2002). Fourth, Vygotsky's idea that language can be used as a psychological tool (Vygotsky 1930(Vygotsky /1978 in augmenting pre-existing cognitive capacities suggests that private and inner speech may play important roles in mediating children's own reflections on the nature of mental states and processes (Meins et al 2003). Finally, the Vygotskian notion of internalisation of semiotically mediated interpersonal activity (Vygotsky 1931(Vygotsky /1997 may prove useful for our theorising about how children's developing TOM abilities are rooted in their experience of social exchanges.…”

Maternal Mind-Mindedness and Children’s Behavioral Difficulties: Mitigating the Impact of Low Socioeconomic Status

“…Mind-mindedness is associated with a range of positive child outcomes. Higher levels of caregiver mind-mindedness in the first year of life are known to predict secure caregiver-child attachment (Arnott & Meins, 2007;Lundy, 2003;Meins et al, 2001; and superior performance on theory of mind tasks at ages 2 (Laranjo, Bernier, Meins, & Carlson, 2010) and 4 (Meins et al, 2002(Meins et al, , 2003). But mind-mindedness is unrelated to children's temperament (Meins, Fernyhough, Arnott, Turner, & Leekam, 2011) and general cognitive ability (e.g., Meins et al, 2001), suggesting that individual infant characteristics do not determine caregivers' mind-mindedness.…”