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Published on: April 6, 2018
Theory of mind, inhibitory control, and preschool-age children's suggestibility in different interviewing contexts
Matthew H Scullin1, Karri Bonner
1Department of Psychology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA. mhscullin@mail.wvu.edu
Abstract:
The current study examined the relations among 3- to 5-year-olds' theory of mind, inhibitory control, and three measures of suggestibility: yielding to suggestive questions (yield), shifting answers in response to negative feedback (shift), and accuracy in response to misleading questions during a pressured interview about a live event. Theory of mind aided in the prediction of suggestibility about the live event, and inhibitory control was a moderator variable affecting the consistency of children's sensitivity to social pressure across situations. The findings indicate that theory of mind and inhibitory control predict children's suggestibility about a live event above and beyond yield, shift, and age and that the construct validity of shift may improve as children's inhibitory control develops.
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