Relationship Between Theory of Mind and Executive Functioning

‘Theory of Mind’ refers to the ability to attribute mental states to oneself and other people (Premack & Woodruff, 1978). This study examined the extent to which ‘Self’ and ‘Other’ belief-attribution processes within the Theory of Mind (ToM) mechanism could be distinguished behaviourally, and whether these separable components differentially related to Executive Functioning (EF) abilities (specifically, inhibition). A computerized false-belief task was utilized to assess ToM and a face-image Stroop task was employed to assess EF, within a population of typically developed adults. Results revealed significantly longer reaction times when attributing beliefs to other people (M = 1088 ms) as opposed to recognizing and attributing beliefs to oneself (M = 932 ms). Two Stroop scores were calculated: affective (emotion-recognition) and non-affective (gender-recognition). Affective Stroop scores positively correlated with performance on the ToM task, whilst non-affective Stroop scores negatively correlated with ToM task performance. Results suggest that adopting another person’s perspective, even when their belief state is matched to one’s own, requires more cognitive effort, as indicated through longer reaction times, than recalling and reflecting on self-oriented belief states.