Theory of mind, old age, and educational opportunity in Colombia

Studies of theory of mind (ToM) abilities in older age groups have yielded mixed results. Thirteen earlier studies are reviewed: these often had small sample sizes, and varied in educational level of older participants. We hypothesized that educational level would be an important factor for ToM in elderly participants, and especially in a non-Western country. We investigated performance on ToM and non-mental story tasks in 250 participants in three age groups (young, middle-aged, and old) in Colombia. There was a decline with ToM as well as non-mental task abilities with age. However, a strong effect of education was found in the old group; those with good educational attainment performed at the same level as young participants, and outperformed the middle-aged group. The possibility of a cohort effect for the middle-aged group is discussed. It is concluded that educational opportunities are a significant protective factor for ToM abilities in elderly populations.