The relationship between theory of mind and multiple-document comprehension in university students: preliminary research findings

• Autores: Christian Tarchi, Lidia Casado Ledesma, Giulia Sanna, Margherita Conti
• Localización: European Journal of Psychology of Education, ISSN-e 1878-5174, ISSN 0256-2928, Vol. 39, Nº 3, 2024, págs. 1841-1864
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.1007/s10212-023-00755-9
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo
• Resumen

  • The demands of learning in the twenty-first century require being skilled in the use and comprehension of multiple documents. Some individual factors such as the metacognitive skill of theory of mind (ToM) are related to this ability. This study investigated the relationship between university students’ ability to comprehend multiple documents, measured through an argumentative essay task, and their ToM. The participants were 84 undergraduates. We assessed their ToM (using the strange stories task) and their mental state talk (using a think-aloud protocol during the reading of multiple documents—MSTR—and through the content of their subsequent written essays—MSTW). The relation between students’ ToM and their MSTW was mediated through MSTR. In addition, students’ ToM was significantly associated with the quality of the essays, through MSTR, and the relation between MSTR and the argumentative quality was mediated through MSTW. MSTW was the only significant predictor of the quality of the essays. The involvement of ToM in multiple-document comprehension suggests, from an educational perspective, the possibility to support multiple-document comprehension by scaffolding mental state talk.

• Referencias bibliográficas
  • Alexander, P. A. (2012). Reading into the future: Competence for the 21st century. Educational Psychologist, 47, 259–280. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2012.722511
  • Anmarkrud, Ø., Bråten, I., & Strømsø, H. I. (2014). Multiple-documents literacy: Strategic processing, source awareness, and argumentation...
  • Annisette, L. E., & Lafreniere, K. D. (2017). Social media, texting, and personality: A test of the shallowing hypothesis. Personality...
  • Apperly, I. A., Carroll, D. J., Samson, D., Humphreys, G. W., Qureshi, A., & Moffitt, G. (2010). Why are there limits on theory of mind...
  • Atkinson, L., Slade, L., Powell, D., & Levy, J. P. (2017). Theory of mind in emerging reading comprehension: A longitudinal study of early...
  • Barnes, J. L., Lombardo, M. V., Wheelwright, S., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2009). Moral dilemmas film task: A study of spontaneous narratives...
  • Baron, J. (1995). Myside bias in thinking about abortion. Thinking and Reasoning, 1, 221–235. https:// doi.org/10.1080/13546789508256909
  • Baron-Cohen, S., Wheelwright, S., Hill, J., Raste, Y., & Plumb, I. (2001). The “Reading the Mind in the Eyes” test revised version: A...
  • Barzilai, S., & Eshet-Alkalai, Y. (2015). The role of epistemic perspectives in comprehension of multiple author viewpoints. Learning...
  • Barzilai, S., & Strømsø, H. I. (2018). Individual differences in multiple document comprehension. In J. L.
  • G. Braasch, I. Bråten, & M. T. McCrudden (Eds.), Handbook of multiple source use (pp. 99–116). Routledge.
  • Barzilai, S., Tzadok, E., & Eshet-Alkalai, Y. (2015). Sourcing while reading divergent expert accounts: Pathways from views of knowing...
  • Bittermann, A., McNamara, D., Simonsmeier, B. A., & Schneider, M. (2023). The landscape of research on prior knowledge and learning: A...
  • Boerma, I. E., Mol, S. E., & Jolles, J. (2017). The role of home literacy environment, mentalizing, expressive verbal ability, and print...
  • Bowles, M. A., & Leow, R. P. (2005). Reactivity and type of verbal report in SLA research methodology. Expanding the scope of investigation....
  • Bråten, I., & Strømsø, H. I. (2010). When law students read multiple documents about global warming: Examining the role of topic-specific...
  • Bråten, I., & Strømsø, H. I. (2011). Measuring strategic processing when students read multiple texts. Metacognition and Learning, 6,...
  • Bråten, I., Britt, M. A., Strømsø, H. I., & Rouet, J. F. (2011). The role of epistemic beliefs in the comprehension of multiple expository...
  • Bråten, I., Ferguson, L. E., Strømsø, H. I., & Anmarkrud, Ø. (2014a). Students working with multiple conflicting documents on a scientific...
  • Bråten, I., Anmarkrud, Ø., Brandmo, C., & Strømsø, H. I. (2014b). Developing and testing a model of direct and indirect relationships...
  • Bretherton, I., & Beegley, M. (1982). Talking about internal states: The acquisition of an explicit theory of mind. Developmental Psychology,...
  • Britt, M. A., & Rouet, J. F. (2012). Learning with multiple documents: Component skills and their acquisition. In J. R. Kirby & M....
  • Brown-Schmidt, S. (2009). The role of executive function in perspective taking during online language comprehension. Psychological Bullettin...
  • Cavallini, E., Lecce, S., Bottiroli, S., Palladino, P., & Pagnin, A. (2013). Beyond false belief: Theory of mind in young, young-old,...
  • Chinn, C. A., Buckland, L. A., & Samarapungavan, A. (2011). Expanding the dimensions of epistemic cognition: Arguments from philosophy...
  • Dai, D. Y., & Wang, X. (2007). The role of need for cognition and reader beliefs in text comprehension and interest development. Contemporary...
  • Devine, R. T., & Hughes, C. (2016). Measuring theory of mind across middle childhood: Reliability and validity of the Silent Films and...
  • Devine, R. T., White, N., Ensor, R., & Hughes, C. (2016). Theory of mind in middle childhood: Longitudinal associations with executive...
  • Duke, N. K., & Pearson, P. D. (2002). Effective practices for developing reading comprehension. In A. E. Farstrup & J. Samuels (Eds.),...
  • Dumontheil, I., Apperly, I. A., & Blakemore, S.-J. (2010). Online usage of theory of mind continues to develop in late adolescence. Developmental...
  • Dyoniziak, Y., Potocki, A., & Rouet, J. F. (2023). Role of advanced theory of mind in teenagers’ evaluation of source information. Discourse...
  • Dziobek, I., Fleck, S., Kalbe, E., Rogers, K., Hassenstab, J., Brand, M., Kessler, J., Woike, J. K., Wolf, O. T., & Convit, A. (2006)....
  • Epstein, S., Pacini, R., Denes-Raj, V., & Heier, H. (1996). Individual differences in intuitive–experiential and analytical–rational thinking...
  • Ferguson, L. E., Bråten, I., & Strømsø, H. I. (2012). Epistemic cognition when students read multiple documents containing conflicting...
  • Florit, E., De Carli, P., Giunti, G., & Mason, L. (2020). Advanced theory of mind uniquely contributes to children’s multiple-text comprehension....
  • Gil, L., Bråten, I., Vidal-Abarca, E., & Strømsø, H. I. (2010). Summary versus argument tasks when working with multiple documents: Which...
  • Greene, J. A., Azevedo, R., & Torney-Purta, J. (2008). Modeling epistemic and ontological cognition: Philosophical perspectives and methodological...
  • Hagen, Å. M., Braasch, J. L. G., & Bråten, I. (2014). Relationships between spontaneous note-taking, self-reported strategies, and comprehension...
  • Hao, J., Su, Y., & Chan, R. C. K. (2010). Do deaf adults with limited language have advanced theory of mind? Research in Developmental...
  • Happè, F. G. E. (1994). An advanced test of theory of mind: Understanding of story characters’ thoughts and feelings by able autistic, mentally...
  • Heine, S. J., Lehman, D. R., Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (1999). Is there a universal need for positive self-regard? Psychological Review,...
  • Hofer, B. K. (2002). Personal epistemology as a psychological and educational construct: An introduction.
  • In B. K. Hofer & P. R. Pintrich (Eds.), Personal epistemology: The psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing (pp. 3–14). Erlbaum.
  • Hughes, C., & Devine, R. T. (2015). Individual differences in theory of mind from preschool to adolescence: Achievements and directions....
  • Hughes, C., Marks, A., Ensor, R., & Lecce, S. (2010). A longitudinal study of conflict and inner state talk in children’s conversations...
  • Kardash, C. M., & Scholes, R. J. (1996). Effects of preexisting beliefs, epistemological beliefs, and need for cognition on interpretation...
  • Keysar, B., Lin, S., & Barr, D. J. (2003). Limits on theory of mind use in adults. Cognition, 89, 25–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0010-0277(03)00064-7
  • Kidd, D. C., & Castano, E. (2013). Reading literary fiction improves theory of mind. Science, 342, 377–380. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1239918
  • Kim, Y. G. (2017). Direct and mediated effects of language and cognitive skills on comprehension of oral narrative texts (listening comprehension)...
  • Kintsch, W. (1988). The role of knowledge in discourse comprehension: A construction-integration model. Psychological Review, 95e, 163–182....
  • LaRusso, M., Kim, H. Y., Selman, R., Uccelli, P., Dawson, T., Jones, S., Donovan, S., & Snow, C. (2016). Contributions of academic language,...
  • Lecce, S., Caputi, M., & Hughes, C. (2011). Does sensitivity to criticism mediate the relationship between theory of mind and academic...
  • Lecce, S., Bianco, F., Devine, R. T., Hughes, C., & Banerjee, R. (2014). Promoting theory of mind during middle childhood: A training...
  • Lecce, S., Bottiroli, S., Bianco, F., Rosi, A., & Cavallini, E. (2015). Training older adults on theory of mind (ToM): Transfer on metamemory....
  • Lecce, S., Ceccato, I., & Cavallini, E. (2019). Theory of mind, mental state talk and social relationships in aging: The case of friendship....
  • List, A., & Alexander, P. A. (2019). Toward an integrated framework of multiple text use. Educational Psychologist, 54, 20–39. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2018.1505514
  • Lucisano, P., & Piemontese, M. E. (1988). GULPEASE: Una formula per la predizione della difficoltà dei testi in lingua italiana (en. tr....
  • Maier, J., & Richter, T. (2013). Text belief consistency effects in the comprehension of multiple texts with conflicting information....
  • Maylor, E. A., Moulson, J. M., Muncer, A. M., & Taylor, L. A. (2010). Does performance on theory of mind tasks decline in old age? British...
  • McCarthy, K. S., & McNamara, D. S. (2021). The multidimensional knowledge in text comprehension framework. Educational Psychologist, 56,...
  • Miller, C., & Bartlett, J. (2012). ‘Digital fluency’: towards young people’s critical use of the internet. Journal of Information Literacy,...
  • Perfetti, C. A., Rouet, J.-F., & Britt, M. A. (1999). Toward a theory of documents representation. In H. Van Oostendorp & S. R. Goldman...
  • Preacher, K., & Hayes, J. (2004). SPSS and SAS procedures for estimating indirect effects in simple mediation models. Behavior Research...
  • Qureshi, A. W., Monk, R. L., Samson, D., & Apperly, I. A. (2020). Does interference between self and other perspectives in theory of mind...
  • Rasinski, T. V., Chang, S. C., Edmondson, E., Nageldinger, J., Nigh, J., Remark, L., Kenney, K. S., Walsh-Moorman, E., Yildirim, K., Nichols,...
  • Richter, T., & Maier, J. (2017). Comprehension of multiple documents with conflicting information: A two-step model of validation. Educational...
  • Rosso, A. M., Viterbori, P., & Scopesi, A. M. (2015). Are maternal reflective functioning and attachment security associated with preadolescent...
  • Rouet, J. F. (2006). The skills of document use: From text comprehension to Web-based learning. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  • Rouet, J. F., Britt, M. A., & Durik, A. M. (2017). RESOLV: Readers’ representation of reading contexts and tasks. Educational Psychologist,...
  • Stadtler, M., & Bromme, R. (2007). Dealing with multiple documents on the WWW: The role of metacognition in the formation of documents...
  • Strømsø, H. I., & Bråten, I. (2009). Beliefs about knowledge and knowing and multiple-text comprehension among upper secondary students....
  • Strømsø, H. I., Bråten, I., & Britt, M. A. (2010). Reading multiple texts about climate change: The relationship between memory for sources...
  • Tarchi, C. (2021). Effects of think-aloud on students’ multiple-documents comprehension. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 35, 526–537. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3782
  • Tarchi, C., & Villalón, R. (2021). The influence of thinking dispositions on integration and recall of multiple texts. British Journal...
  • Tarchi, C., Zaccoletti, S., & Mason, L. (2021). Learning from text, video, or subtitles: A comparative analysis. Computers & Education,...
  • Valle, A., Massaro, D., Castelli, I., & Marchetti, A. (2015). Theory of mind development in adolescence and early adulthood: The growing...
  • Wellman, H. M., & Liu, D. (2004). Scaling of theory-of-mind tasks. Child Development, 75, 523–541. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2004.00691.x
  • Weston-Sementelli, J. L., Allen, L. K., & McNamara, D. S. (2018). Comprehension and writing strategy training improves performance on...
  • Wimmer, H., & Perner, J. (1983). Beliefs about beliefs: Representation and constraining function of wrong beliefs in young children’s...
  • World Medical Association. (2013). Declaration of Helsinki: Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. JAMA, 310, 2191–2194....
  • Wu, S., & Keysar, B. (2007). The effect of culture on perspective taking. Psychological Science, 18, 600–606. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01946.x