The Adolescent Mind: Factors influencing Theory of Mind abilities during adolescence

Throughout our daily lives, we are required to infer information about other people’s mental states, an ability referred to as possession of a ‘Theory of Mind’ (ToM). Prior research has demonstrated ongoing cognitive development throughout adolescence. This study explored the extent to which ToM continues to develop during adolescence, and which factors may influence successful ToM expression during this period. Participants aged 10-21 years completed a number of tasks, including assessments of ToM (e.g., emotion recognition, intention reasoning), general cognitive traits (including autistic traits, empathy, positive/negative affect) and the influence of technology usage. Results revealed a significant effect of age on ToM engagement, with a decrease in egocentric processing across adolescence, related to a number of factors including association with autistic traits and time spent engaging with technology. However, these relationships varied between younger and older adolescents, suggesting changes in factors influencing successful ToM expression across this period of development.