Theory of Mind Development in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Individuals

Theory of Mind(ToM)is aconstruct that includes a range of connected abilities linked to the understanding of others' mental states. During the last three decades, ToM development has been studied extensively in deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) individuals and performances compared to the typicall...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Martín, Leire|||0000-0002-2733-8437, Figueroa, Mario|||0000-0001-6356-1970, Diego-Lázaro, Beatriz de|||0000-0003-4309-6308, Balboa-Castells, Raquel|||0000-0003-1242-6263, Morgan, Gary, 1968-|||0000-0002-9495-1274
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:318528
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/318528
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.3390/bs15081065
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Deaf
Hard of hearing
Theory of Mind
False belief
Signed language
Cochlear implant
Parent-child interactions
Descripción
Sumario:Theory of Mind(ToM)is aconstruct that includes a range of connected abilities linked to the understanding of others' mental states. During the last three decades, ToM development has been studied extensively in deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) individuals and performances compared to the typically hearing (TH) population. Given the advances in the early diagnosis of deafness, interventions, and hearing devices over this period, variations in task performance among DHH participants might have been reduced. The current systematic review aims to synthesize all studies of ToM in DHH individuals and answer the following question: Do DHH individuals (Population), compared to a control sample of THand/or amongthemselves (Comparator), in an assessment of ToM (Intervention), have differentiated results (Outcome)? After a search of the literature, 97 papers were included. We found that, in general, TH participants outperformed their DHH peers in ToMmeasures; however, there was a wide range of results. Explanations for this variability included the quality of early interactions and early exposure to both signed and spoken language. The review also indicates that the understanding of false belief was the most studied component within ToM, while other components, such as understanding intention and irony, require further research. Implications of these findings for clinical practice are discussed.