Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 16, 2025
07:56
Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
Published on: September 19, 2019
10.1K
How Child's Attachment, Mentalizing, Mental Functioning, and Emerging Personality Interplay with Age Differences and
Fabiola Bizzi1, Marta Tironi2, Federica Conte3
1Department of Educational Sciences, University of Genoa, Corso Podestà, 2, 16128, Genoa, Italy.
Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology
|July 8, 2025
Summary
Social cognition, including mentalizing and mental functioning, develops with age but is significantly disrupted in children with internalizing or externalizing problems. These deficits are most severe in middle childhood, especially for internalizing groups, indicating a need for targeted interventions.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Social Neuroscience
Background:
- Social cognition, encompassing mentalizing and mental functioning, is foundational for healthy psychological development and personality organization, stemming from early attachment.
- Little is known about age- and clinical status-related variations in these processes during middle childhood and early adolescence (ages 8-13).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related differences in mentalizing, attachment, mental functioning, and personality organization.
- To examine the impact of internalizing and externalizing problems on these developmental processes compared to non-clinical groups.
- To explore the interaction between age and clinical status on social cognition and personality development.
Main Methods:
- 137 children and early adolescents (non-clinical, internalizing, externalizing groups) aged 8-13 were assessed.
- Measures included the Child Reflection Functioning Scale, PDM-2 (Child and Adolescent version) applied to the Child Attachment Interview, and the Child Behaviour Checklist (parent-reported).
Main Results:
- Younger children exhibited lower mentalizing, attachment security, and personality functioning than older peers.
- Clinical groups (internalizing and externalizing) showed significant deficits in mentalizing and personality organization compared to non-clinical controls.
- Mentalizing and personality deficits were most pronounced in middle childhood for the internalizing group, highlighting an age-by-clinical status interaction.
Conclusions:
- Social cognition processes mature with age but are significantly disrupted by clinical conditions in childhood and early adolescence.
- Differential deficits observed in internalizing versus externalizing groups underscore the necessity for tailored interventions.
- Targeting mentalizing, mental functioning, and attachment relationships is crucial for supporting healthy development in these critical age groups.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Socioemotional Development during Infancy
126
Socio-emotional development in infancy is primarily shaped by early emotional responses and social connections, with temperament playing a central role. Temperament refers to the consistent patterns in an individual's emotional and behavioral responses, observable even in infancy. By examining temperament, researchers can better understand an infant's unique ways of interacting with the world, influencing subsequent personality and socio-emotional growth.
Primary Temperament Types
Primary Temperament Types
126
01:20Attachment
137
Attachment is vital for infant development, as warm social interactions support growth and well-being. In a classic 1958 study by Harry Harlow, the significance of warmth and comfort in forming attachments was examined. Harlow separated newborn monkeys from their mothers and provided two artificial "mothers": one made of cold wire and the other covered in soft cloth. Despite the wire mother offering food, the infant monkeys preferred the comfort of the cloth mother, demonstrating that...
137
01:28Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Childhood
221
Erik Erikson, a stage theorist, adapted Freud's theory to emphasize social factors in personality development throughout life, a concept known as psychosocial development. Unlike Freud, who focused on early childhood, Erikson believed that personality evolves across eight life stages, each marked by a specific challenge or "crisis." Successful resolution of each stage fosters competence, while failure may lead to feelings of inadequacy.
The first four of Erikson's eight...
The first four of Erikson's eight...
221
01:30Information Processing Approach
166
The information-processing theory of cognitive development centers on fundamental mental processes, including attention, memory, and problem-solving skills. Researchers in this field examine how cognitive abilities, such as working memory, evolve and influence children's overall development. Studies indicate that children with stronger working memory tend to excel in reading comprehension, math, and problem-solving compared to peers with less efficient memory skills. Low working memory is...
166
01:18Cognitive Development During Adolescence
140
During adolescence, individuals experience significant cognitive development that enhances their understanding of others' emotions and thoughts, known as cognitive empathy. This period is marked by an increased ability to adapt to others' perspectives and a more nuanced understanding of others' mental states, a skill that is foundational for social problem-solving and conflict avoidance. The development of cognitive empathy relies heavily on the theory of mind — the...
140
01:28Adler's Individual Psychology
1.3K
Alfred Adler, a prominent figure in psychology, founded the school of individual psychology. In contrast to Freud's emphasis on sexual or aggressive motives, Adler suggested that individuals are primarily motivated by their purposes and goals. He believed that people strive for perfection rather than pleasure. Adler argued that individuals could creatively act upon their genetic inheritance and environmental experiences to shape their own lives, emphasizing conscious motivation over...
1.3K