Débora de Hollanda Souza

Compreensão de emoções, aceitação social e avaliação de atributos comportamentais em crianças escolares

Diversos pesquisadores do campo de estudos sobre teoria da mente tem investigado a relacao entre compreensao de emocoes e interacao social. Seguindo essa linha de investigacao, o presente estudo explorou a relacao entre compreensao emocional, aceitacao social e avaliacao de atributos comportamentais pelos pares. Cinquenta e duas criancas escolares responderam a um teste de inteligencia emocional e a dois testes de avaliacao sociometrica. Nao foi encontrada uma correlacao entre a compreensao emocional e a aceitacao social, porem uma correlacao negativa entre a compreensao emocional e a avaliacao de atributos ligados a agressividade/disruptividade foi observada. Esses resultados sugerem que o conhecimento de diferentes emocoes e de estrategias de regulacao emocional podem tornar as criancas menos propensas a agressividade reativa.

Teoria da mente, empatia e motivação pró-social em crianças pré-escolares

Hay discordancia entre investigadores del campo de desarrollo socio-cognitivo cuanto a los factores relacionados al desarrollo de la empatia y de la motivacion para actuar de manera prosocial. El objetivo de la presente investigacion fue averiguar si la adquisicion de una teoria de la mente esta asociada con la habilidad de compartir las emociones y con la motivacion prosocial en los anos preescolares. Treinta y siete ninos entre 4 y 6 anos de edad participaron de tareas sobre la teoria de la mente y en una tarea, disenada para la presente investigacion, para evaluar empatia y motivacion prosocial. Los resultados no indicaron una correlacion significante entre el desempeno en las tareas de la teoria de la mente y el nivel de empatia de ninos. La motivacion prosocial, por otro lado, se correlaciono significativamente con la teoria de la mente. Los resultados sugirieron que un entendimiento mas sofisticado de los estados mentales subyacentes a la accion humana no es un prerequisito para una respuesta emocional empatica, sin embargo puede influir positivamente en el comportamiento prosocial.Researchers in the field of sociocognitive development hold differing views concerning factors that influence the development of empathy and the motivation to act prosocially. The present study aimed to investigate whether the acquisition of a theory of mind is associated with preschoolers’ ability to respond to others’ emotions and demonstrate prosocial motivation. Thirty-seven children between 4 and 6 years of age participated in a series of theory-of-mind tasks as well as in a task designed to assess their emphatic abilities and prosocial motivation. The results did not suggest a significant correlation between children s performance in theory-of-mind tasks and their ability to express empathy. Prosocial motivation, on the other hand, was significantly correlated with their performance on the theory of mind measures. The results suggest that a more sophisticated understanding of the mental states underlying human action is not a prerequisite for empathic emotional responses, but that this capacity can have a positive influence on prosocial behavior.

Falando sobre a mente: algumas considerações sobre a relação entre linguagem e teoria da mente

Research on theory of mind development has made important advances in the last two decades, however, there is much to be unveiled, particularly regarding the mechanisms underlying this aspect of development. Recent research has investigated a possible relationship between language and theory of mind and several studies have been conducted in different linguistic communities. The work presented here is aimed, therefore, at presenting different theoretical accounts of the relationship between language and theory of mind and reinforcing the importance of cross-linguistic studies. Moreover, this work is aimed at pointing to interesting directions for research on theory of mind in Brazil.

The Relationship between Theory of Mind and Moral Development in Preschool Children

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between theory of mind and moral judgment (based on intention and based on motive) in a sample of Brazilian preschool children. Twenty-four 4- and 5-year olds were assessed in theory of mind and moral reasoning tasks. Although the correlation between performances in the two types of task was not significant, some important effects were found: participants were better at judging intentional behaviors than accidental ones and 5-year-olds performed better than 4-year-olds in the moral reasoning task based on motive. These results suggest that more sophisticated moral reasoning is associated with the capacity to differentiate intentional and non-intentional actions as well as to identify the underlying motives of human action.La finalidad en el presente estudio fue investigar la relacion entre la teoria de la mente y el raciocinio moral (basado en la intencion y en el motivo) en una muestra de ninos brasilenos en edad pre-escolar. Veinticuatro ninos de 4 y 5 anos fueron evaluados en tareas de la teoria de la mente y de raciocinio moral. Aunque la correlacion entre los resultados de los dos tipos de tarea no fue significativa, algunos efectos importantes fueron encontrados: los participantes eran mejores en juzgar las conductas intencionales que las accidentales; y los ninos de 5 anos alcanzaron mejor desempeno que aquellos de 4 anos en la tarea de raciocinio moral basado en el motivo. Estos resultados sugieren que un raciocinio moral mas sofisticado se asocia a la capacidad de distinguir entre acciones intencionales y no intencionales, asi como de identificar los motivos subyacentes de la accion humana.The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between theory of mind and moral judgment (based on intention and based on motive) in a sample of Brazilian preschool children. Twenty-four 4and 5-year olds were assessed in theory of mind and moral reasoning tasks. Although the correlation between performances in the two types of task was not signifi cant, some important effects were found: participants were better at judging intentional behaviors than accidental ones and 5-year-olds performed better than 4-year-olds in the moral reasoning task based on motive. These results suggest that more sophisticated moral reasoning is associated with the capacity to differentiate intentional and non-intentional actions as well as to identify the underlying motives of human action.

As crianças e o mundo das palavras: considerações sobre a pesquisa em desenvolvimento lexical

Developmental Psychology research in Brazil has made substantial progress in recent years, however, a basic process remains absent in discussions among Brazilian researchers in the area lexical development. The present paper is aimed at providing a literature review and showing how studies on word learning can contribute to our current understanding of child development. The main findings on lexical development are discussed as well as the main challenges found by researchers who are dedicated to the topic. It is also hoped that this paper can serve as a starting point for Brazilian researchers interested in investigating the process among Portuguese-speaking children.

A Criação de Amigos Imaginários: Uma Revisão de Literatura

Pretend play is an important milestone in child development. Among the many forms that symbolic play can take, one stands out for its singularity: the creation of imaginary companions. The phenomenon has been associated with various positive aspects of development, however, there are very few Brazilian studies investigating this topic. The present research aims to contribute to this study field by presenting a systematic literature review on imaginary companions. The literature review was based on the analysis of indexed books and articles found in SciELO-Brasil, Index Psi, PePSIC, LILACS and PsycINFO databases, published between 1934 and 2013. In total, 46 national and foreign papers, published between 1934 and 2013, were found. The literature suggests that the creation of imaginary companions is associated with important gains, for example, in creativity, sociability and social cognition. Therefore, future directions for this line of research in the country are suggested.

A Relação entre Teoria da Mente e Desenvolvimento Moral em Crianças Pré-Escolares

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between theory of mind and moral judgment (based on intention and based on motive) in a sample of Brazilian preschool children. Twenty-four 4- and 5-year olds were assessed in theory of mind and moral reasoning tasks. Although the correlation between performances in the two types of task was not significant, some important effects were found: participants were better at judging intentional behaviors than accidental ones and 5-year-olds performed better than 4-year-olds in the moral reasoning task based on motive. These results suggest that more sophisticated moral reasoning is associated with the capacity to differentiate intentional and non-intentional actions as well as to identify the underlying motives of human action.La finalidad en el presente estudio fue investigar la relacion entre la teoria de la mente y el raciocinio moral (basado en la intencion y en el motivo) en una muestra de ninos brasilenos en edad pre-escolar. Veinticuatro ninos de 4 y 5 anos fueron evaluados en tareas de la teoria de la mente y de raciocinio moral. Aunque la correlacion entre los resultados de los dos tipos de tarea no fue significativa, algunos efectos importantes fueron encontrados: los participantes eran mejores en juzgar las conductas intencionales que las accidentales; y los ninos de 5 anos alcanzaron mejor desempeno que aquellos de 4 anos en la tarea de raciocinio moral basado en el motivo. Estos resultados sugieren que un raciocinio moral mas sofisticado se asocia a la capacidad de distinguir entre acciones intencionales y no intencionales, asi como de identificar los motivos subyacentes de la accion humana.The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between theory of mind and moral judgment (based on intention and based on motive) in a sample of Brazilian preschool children. Twenty-four 4and 5-year olds were assessed in theory of mind and moral reasoning tasks. Although the correlation between performances in the two types of task was not signifi cant, some important effects were found: participants were better at judging intentional behaviors than accidental ones and 5-year-olds performed better than 4-year-olds in the moral reasoning task based on motive. These results suggest that more sophisticated moral reasoning is associated with the capacity to differentiate intentional and non-intentional actions as well as to identify the underlying motives of human action.

La Relación entre la Teoría de la Mente y el Desarrollo Moral en Niños Pre-Escolares

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between theory of mind and moral judgment (based on intention and based on motive) in a sample of Brazilian preschool children. Twenty-four 4- and 5-year olds were assessed in theory of mind and moral reasoning tasks. Although the correlation between performances in the two types of task was not significant, some important effects were found: participants were better at judging intentional behaviors than accidental ones and 5-year-olds performed better than 4-year-olds in the moral reasoning task based on motive. These results suggest that more sophisticated moral reasoning is associated with the capacity to differentiate intentional and non-intentional actions as well as to identify the underlying motives of human action.La finalidad en el presente estudio fue investigar la relacion entre la teoria de la mente y el raciocinio moral (basado en la intencion y en el motivo) en una muestra de ninos brasilenos en edad pre-escolar. Veinticuatro ninos de 4 y 5 anos fueron evaluados en tareas de la teoria de la mente y de raciocinio moral. Aunque la correlacion entre los resultados de los dos tipos de tarea no fue significativa, algunos efectos importantes fueron encontrados: los participantes eran mejores en juzgar las conductas intencionales que las accidentales; y los ninos de 5 anos alcanzaron mejor desempeno que aquellos de 4 anos en la tarea de raciocinio moral basado en el motivo. Estos resultados sugieren que un raciocinio moral mas sofisticado se asocia a la capacidad de distinguir entre acciones intencionales y no intencionales, asi como de identificar los motivos subyacentes de la accion humana.The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between theory of mind and moral judgment (based on intention and based on motive) in a sample of Brazilian preschool children. Twenty-four 4and 5-year olds were assessed in theory of mind and moral reasoning tasks. Although the correlation between performances in the two types of task was not signifi cant, some important effects were found: participants were better at judging intentional behaviors than accidental ones and 5-year-olds performed better than 4-year-olds in the moral reasoning task based on motive. These results suggest that more sophisticated moral reasoning is associated with the capacity to differentiate intentional and non-intentional actions as well as to identify the underlying motives of human action.

Preschool children's emotional and behavioral descriptions of events

Ninos en edad preescolar se encuentran interesados en los estados mentales ajenos. El objetivo del presente estudio fue investigar si este interes se refleja en la tendencia de los ninos de cuatro a seis anos a describir eventos en terminos emocionales o de comportamiento, y si hay correlacion entre estas preferencias y la comprension emocional de los ninos. A 37 ninos (21 ninas y 16 ninos) se les pidio que describieran escenas de cuatro peliculas y se evaluo la comprension de las emociones. Los resultados revelaron un efecto de la edad sobre la frecuencia de las descripciones emocionales F(2, 34) = 6,7, p < 0,01 y una correlacion entre la frecuencia de las descripciones emocionales y el nivel de comprension de las emociones por los participantes (r = 0,55, p < 0,001). Estos datos son consistentes con evidencias del aumento en la produccion espontanea de terminos emocionales en el periodo preescolar.Criancas em idade pre-escolar ja se interessam pelos estados mentais alheios. O presente estudo teve por objetivo investigar se o interesse por estados mentais alheios se reflete nas preferencias de criancas entre quatro e seis anos de idade por descricoes emocionais e/ou comportamentais de eventos e se ha correlacao entre essas preferencias e sua compreensao emocional. Trinta e sete criancas (21 meninas e 16 meninos) foram solicitadas a descrever quatro cenas de filmes e foram avaliadas quanto a compreensao de emocoes. Os resultados revelaram um efeito de idade para a frequencia de descricoes emocionais, F(2, 34) = 6,7, p < 0,01, bem como uma correlacao entre a frequencia de descricoes emocionais e o nivel de compreensao emocional dos participantes, (r = 0,55, p < 0,001). Esses dados sao consistentes com evidencias de um aumento na producao espontânea de termos emocionais no periodo pre-escolar.

Descripciones emocionales y factuales de eventos por niños preescolares

Ninos en edad preescolar se encuentran interesados en los estados mentales ajenos. El objetivo del presente estudio fue investigar si este interes se refleja en la tendencia de los ninos de cuatro a seis anos a describir eventos en terminos emocionales o de comportamiento, y si hay correlacion entre estas preferencias y la comprension emocional de los ninos. A 37 ninos (21 ninas y 16 ninos) se les pidio que describieran escenas de cuatro peliculas y se evaluo la comprension de las emociones. Los resultados revelaron un efecto de la edad sobre la frecuencia de las descripciones emocionales F(2, 34) = 6,7, p < 0,01 y una correlacion entre la frecuencia de las descripciones emocionales y el nivel de comprension de las emociones por los participantes (r = 0,55, p < 0,001). Estos datos son consistentes con evidencias del aumento en la produccion espontanea de terminos emocionales en el periodo preescolar.Criancas em idade pre-escolar ja se interessam pelos estados mentais alheios. O presente estudo teve por objetivo investigar se o interesse por estados mentais alheios se reflete nas preferencias de criancas entre quatro e seis anos de idade por descricoes emocionais e/ou comportamentais de eventos e se ha correlacao entre essas preferencias e sua compreensao emocional. Trinta e sete criancas (21 meninas e 16 meninos) foram solicitadas a descrever quatro cenas de filmes e foram avaliadas quanto a compreensao de emocoes. Os resultados revelaram um efeito de idade para a frequencia de descricoes emocionais, F(2, 34) = 6,7, p < 0,01, bem como uma correlacao entre a frequencia de descricoes emocionais e o nivel de compreensao emocional dos participantes, (r = 0,55, p < 0,001). Esses dados sao consistentes com evidencias de um aumento na producao espontânea de termos emocionais no periodo pre-escolar.