Exploring the mutually reinforcing relationship between theory of mind and reading in adult readers

Jackson, Sophie (2022) Exploring the mutually reinforcing relationship between theory of mind and reading in adult readers. Journal of Research in Reading, 45 (2). pp. 189-203. ISSN 0141-0423

Preview

Text Journal Research in Reading - 2022 - Jackson - Exploring the mutually reinforcing relationship between theory of mind and.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (542kB)

Abstract

Background: Research with children shows that theory of mind predicts reading comprehension both concurrently and longitudinally, while research with adults shows increased print-exposure relates to theory of mind understanding. However, until now whether reading and theory of mind have a mutually reinforcing relationship in which they promote one another in parallel has not been explored. Therefore, this study aims to explore further the relationship between theory of mind and reading by investigating reading comprehension, print-exposure and theory of mind together.
Method: Theory of mind (Reading the Eyes in the Mind test), reading comprehension (subset of the York Adult Assessment Battery-Revised) and print-exposure (Authors Recognition Test) were measured in a sample of U.K. adults (N = 220).
Results: Findings showed that theory of mind was significantly related to both reading comprehension and reading print-exposure. Further, mediation analysis showed that this relationship does not operate with theory of mind mediating the relationship between print-exposure and reading comprehension as an indirect effect of print-exposure on reading comprehension through theory of mind was not found after controlling for age, income and education.
Conclusions: The findings provide some initial evidence that, at least in adulthood, reading and theory of mind have a mutually reinforcing relationship in which they promote one another in parallel, but this relationship cannot be explained by theory of mind mediating the relationship between print-exposure and reading comprehension.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number:	10.1111/1467-9817.12393
Dates:	Date Event 4 March 2022 Accepted 29 March 2022 Published Online
Uncontrolled Keywords:	adult literacy, print-exposure, reading comprehension, theory of mind
Subjects:	CAH04 - psychology > CAH04-01 - psychology > CAH04-01-03 - developmental psychology
Divisions:	Faculty of Business, Law and Social Sciences > College of Psychology
Depositing User:	Sophie Jackson
Date Deposited:	27 Jun 2023 16:43
Last Modified:	11 Jun 2024 13:03
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/14509

Actions (login required)

View Item