ABSTRACT : The Theory of Mind is the ability of an individual to interpret and predict the others’ behavior. This ability is determined by the individual differences created according to the characteristics of the environment in which the child grows. One of the main variables to consider is the family environment and therefore its composition (together with the socioeconomic level and the reference culture). Recent research has shifted the focus from the main caregiver of the child (the mother), to dwell on the role of the brothers in the development of the theory of mind, their relevance depends on the active role in fiction games and conversations concerning mental states and shared experiences. The presence or absence of brothers and the quality of their relationship are the topics that have laid the groundwork for studies in recent years and inevitably for the future ones. In this study, a group of children of middle childhood (school age) has been subjected to collective and individual tests to evaluate the ToM, The tools used for this purpose were the strange stories and silent films, also the type of the relationship with the brothers through the NRI brothers tool, in addition to the variables related to the ToM already mentioned in the literature as the socioeconomic level (FAS) and the verbal skills (PMA). Several studies conducted in preschool show a positive correlation between the presence of older brothers and higher levels in the ToM at the beginning of primary school, but our results differ, showing that at this age (children between 9 and 11 years) they have positive effects in the ToM only if the children are firstborn, it seems that at this age the older are able to teach their younger brothers getting themselves benefits from it.
ABSTRACT: La Teoria della Mente è la capacità di un individuo di interpretare e prevedere il comportamento altrui. Questa abilità è determinata dalle differenze individuali createsi in seguito alle caratteristiche dell'ambiente in cui cresce il bambino. Una delle principali variabili da considerare è l'ambiente familiare e quindi la sua composizione (insieme al livello socioeconomico e la cultura di riferimento). Ricerche recenti hanno spostato l'attenzione dal principale caregiver del bambino (la madre), per soffermarsi sul ruolo dei fratelli nello sviluppo della teoria della mente, la loro rilevanza dipende dal ruolo attivo all'interno dei giochi di finzione e dalle conversazioni riguardanti stati mentali e esperienze condivise. La presenza o meno di fratelli e la qualità della loro relazione sono gli argomenti che hanno gettato le basi per gli studi degli ultimi anni e inevitabilmente per quelli futuri. Nel presente studio, a un gruppo di bambini della media infanzia (età scolare) sono state sottoposte prove collettive e individuali per valutare la ToM,.Gli strumenti utilizzati a tale scopo sono stati le strange stories e i silent film, inoltre è stato valutato la tipologia del rapporto con i fratelli attraverso lo strumento NRI fratelli, oltre alle variabili legate alla ToM già citate precedentemente in letteratura come il livello socioeconomico (FAS) e le abilità verbali (PMA). Diversi studi condotti in età prescolare mostrano una correlazione positiva tra la presenza di fratelli maggiori e più alti livelli nella ToM all'inizio della scuola primaria, i nostri risultati invece differiscono, mostrando che a questa età (bambini tra i 9 e gli 11 anni) hanno effetti positivi nella ToM solo se i bambini sono primogeniti, sembra che a questa età i fratelli più grandi siano portati ad insegnare ai più piccoli traendone loro stessi dei benefici.
Il ruolo dei fratelli nello sviluppo della Teoria della Mente durante la media infanzia
RONCHI, CHIARA
2016/2017
Abstract
ABSTRACT : The Theory of Mind is the ability of an individual to interpret and predict the others’ behavior. This ability is determined by the individual differences created according to the characteristics of the environment in which the child grows. One of the main variables to consider is the family environment and therefore its composition (together with the socioeconomic level and the reference culture). Recent research has shifted the focus from the main caregiver of the child (the mother), to dwell on the role of the brothers in the development of the theory of mind, their relevance depends on the active role in fiction games and conversations concerning mental states and shared experiences. The presence or absence of brothers and the quality of their relationship are the topics that have laid the groundwork for studies in recent years and inevitably for the future ones. In this study, a group of children of middle childhood (school age) has been subjected to collective and individual tests to evaluate the ToM, The tools used for this purpose were the strange stories and silent films, also the type of the relationship with the brothers through the NRI brothers tool, in addition to the variables related to the ToM already mentioned in the literature as the socioeconomic level (FAS) and the verbal skills (PMA). Several studies conducted in preschool show a positive correlation between the presence of older brothers and higher levels in the ToM at the beginning of primary school, but our results differ, showing that at this age (children between 9 and 11 years) they have positive effects in the ToM only if the children are firstborn, it seems that at this age the older are able to teach their younger brothers getting themselves benefits from it.È consentito all'utente scaricare e condividere i documenti disponibili a testo pieno in UNITESI UNIPV nel rispetto della licenza Creative Commons del tipo CC BY NC ND.
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14239/8915