Reading Minds: Theory of Mind Language in Children’s Books

Level of Education of Students Involved

Undergraduate

Faculty Sponsor

Abbie Thompson

College

College of Arts & Sciences (CAS)

Discipline(s)

Psychology

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Symposium Date

Spring 4-30-2026

Abstract

Theory of mind (ToM) is the ability to understand that people have different thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and knowledge that differs from one’s own. It plays a key role in children’s social development, cognitive development, empathy, and understanding others’ perspectives. ToM is developed through social interaction and language exposure. Children’s books that highlight various thoughts and feelings, therefore, an important tool for fostering ToM. Research shows that language surrounding various mental states in these books support this ToM. For instance, kids’ understanding of ToM and their use of ToM-related vocabulary is associated with improved narrative understanding. When parents incorporate this kind of language while reading, it is connected to more ToM skills. However, not all books include ToM content, and the amount of commonly read books that contain ToM language is unclear. To explore this, a dataset of the 100 most circulated children’s books from six Indiana libraries (600 total) was analyzed. So far, 438 books have been transcribed. Using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count program, we analyzed the frequency of ToM-related words, focusing on terms like “think,” “feel,” and “know.” Preliminary findings show that ToM language rarely appears, averaging 1.68 words per book, with a wide range from 0 to 19. Although present, ToM language is limited in many popular books. Caregivers and educators can support development by choosing books with more ToM-related content and encouraging discussion during reading.

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