Improving low-income preschoolers’ theory of mind: A training study

•Examined a theory of mind training program for low-income preschoolers.•Examined whether training transferred to preschoolers’ social competence.•Training improved false belief understanding at two posttests.•Training did not improve emotion understanding or social competence.

This study examined the efficacy of training theory of mind via storybook interactions focused on characters’ mental states (i.e., beliefs and emotions) in a sample of 73 low-income preschoolers, and determined if training transferred to social competence. Children in the experimental group participated in experimenter-led book interactions in which characters’ false beliefs and emotions were discussed. Children in the first control group were read the same stories, but without the embedded discussions; children in the second control group were not read books. Children's false belief understanding, emotion understanding, and social competence were assessed at pretest, an immediate posttest, and a delayed posttest two months later. Children in the experimental group outperformed both controls on false belief understanding, but not emotion understanding or social competence, at both posttests.