Earlier theory of mind longitudinally predicts later academic achievement (pooled r = .28), largely on zero-order associations¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesisr3·q4·i1small
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q4 i1 Longitudinal partial correlations remained significant controlling for verbal ability (rVA = .12) and executive functions (rEF = .15) for reading comprehension. → Lecce 2026
Evidence¶
Lecce 2026¶
Lecce, S., Stagnitto, S. M., Mascheretti, S., Lampis, V., & Devine, R. T. (2026). Children's Theory of Mind and Academic Achievement: a Meta-analysis on Reading Comprehension and Math Skills. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-026-10185-w
q4 · i1 · quant-synthesis · r3
Meta-analysis of longitudinal partial correlations for reading comprehension (18 effect sizes controlling for verbal ability, 15 for executive functions). Printed partial effect sizes rVA = .12 and rEF = .15 remained statistically significant, though attenuated relative to zero-order effects.
"The weighted mean remained statistically significant when controlling for both verbal ability, rVA = .12, 95% CI [.04, .21], p = .006, and executive functions, rEF = .15, 95% CI [.03, .25], p < .001."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Earlier academic achievement longitudinally predicts later theory of mind (pooled r = .32), based on few studies — related
- The cross-sectional ToM–achievement association remains significant after controlling for verbal ability, executive functions, non-verbal ability, and SES — related
- Longitudinally, the ToM–achievement association does not differ significantly across academic achievement domains, and time lag does not moderate it — related
- Children's theory of mind shows a significant positive cross-sectional association with academic achievement (r = 0.32) — related
- SES longitudinally predicts later reading (r = 0.24), and phonological awareness and vocabulary jointly explain about 45% of that association — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
early-tom-predicts-later-achievement |
title |
Earlier theory of mind longitudinally predicts later academic achievement (pooled r = .28), largely on zero-order associations |
description |
Earlier theory of mind longitudinally predicts later academic achievement (pooled r = .28), largely on zero-order associations |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2026 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-19 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — lecce-2026 |
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