The effect of theory of mind skills on persuasion skills used by school-aged children

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate the relationship between theory of mind (ToM) ability and persuasion skills used by school-aged children. Role play was used as the task to elicit persuasion skills. By comparing the performance between children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder and typically developing children, who differed in ToM ability, the effect of second-order ToM on persuasion skills was investigated. No effect of second-order ToM was found on the persistence, and number and variety of persuasive strategies used, but a significant effect was found on the level of perspective-taking shown in persuasion. Though further study would be necessary to show a clearer relationship of ToM with persuasion, this study suggests the importance of second-order ToM in persuasion skills.