The Relationships between Attributions to "Theory of Mind"and Settling Strategies in Young Children's Interpersonal Conflicts

Abstract

This study examined relationships between attributions to "theory of mind" and settling strategies in young children's conflicts. Subjects were 48 kindergartners. The research was conducted by the interview method. The following significant results were obtained. 5-year-old children, who could interpret a strong child's belief and wish correctly (BD-group), attributed his/her intention to no malice. But 4-year-old children attributed a strong child's intention to malice independent of the styles of attributions to "theory of mind". And 4-year-old children of the BD-group tried to quarrel with him/her. The above results suggest that the relationships between styles of the attribution to "theory of mind" and settling strategies in interpersonal conflicts are not applicable to 4-year-old children.