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Parental Mind-Mindedness and Child Executive Functions During Toddlerhood: A Biparental and Longitudinal Study

Julien Massicotte1, Frédéric Thériault-Couture1, Charles-Anthony Dubeau1

  • 1School of Psychology, Laval University, Quebec, Quebec, Canada.

Infancy : the Official Journal of the International Society on Infant Studies
|May 5, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Maternal mind-mindedness in infancy is key for toddlers' executive functions (EF). Mothers' attuned comments support cognitive flexibility, while non-attuned comments hinder EF development.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Psychology
  • Parent-Child Interaction

Background:

  • Executive functions (EF) are vital for children's development and functioning.
  • Understanding early developmental factors influencing EF is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the longitudinal impact of parental mind-mindedness on toddlers' executive functions.
  • To differentiate the roles of maternal and paternal mind-mindedness.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study with 131 families, assessing parents at 6 months and child EF at 19 months.
  • Parental mind-mindedness measured via comments on infant's mental states during free play.
  • Child EF assessed using tasks for inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and working memory.

Main Results:

  • Maternal non-attuned comments negatively predicted all EF components.
  • Maternal attuned comments positively predicted cognitive flexibility.
  • Paternal mind-mindedness showed no significant association with any EF component.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal mind-mindedness in infancy significantly influences toddler executive functions.
  • Specific maternal comments (attuned vs. non-attuned) have distinct effects on EF development.
  • Paternal mind-mindedness does not appear to play a direct role in early EF development.

Keywords:
executive functionsinfancyparental mind‐mindednesstoddlerhood

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