Bridging Minds: The Interaction Between Spontaneous Perspective-Taking and Social Coordination

Spontaneous visuospatial perspective taking (VSPT) and social coordination are fundamental cognitive and social skills that facilitate human interaction. Although previous studies have examined these processes separately, how these two abilities interact, particularly in children, has not been sufficiently investigated.This study explores the relationship between spontaneous VSPT and social coordination in children aged 9–11, examining how static and movement conditions influence spontaneous VSPT—whether egocentric or altercentric—and how cooperation and competition shape social coordination strategies. The Do You See What I See (DYSWIS) task was used to measure spontaneous VSPT, and coordination games such as Stag Hunt and Entry Game were used to assess cooperation and competition behaviors. Our findings suggest that movement significantly influences spontaneous VPT, increasing altercentric responses, but is not directly related to social coordination skills. We observed that children tend to take more risks and are more cooperative in mutually beneficial scenarios. In competitive situations, we observed increased switching behavior and longer reaction times, indicating increased strategic processing and cognitive load. These findings highlight the importance of considering the social context when examining children’s social cognitive skills. This study, which provides new insights into the effects of perspective-taking skills on social behavior in childhood, has implications for educational and social adaptation and highlights the need for future research to investigate the potential mediating roles of executive functions in the relationship between VPT and social coordination. In addition, examining how these skills develop across age groups and cultural contexts may further enrich our understanding of social cognition in children.