The ToM–achievement association is significantly weaker in European samples than in Asian and North American samples¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r3 · q4
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q4 i? Study region significantly moderated the association, with lower effects in Europe compared with Asia and North America. → 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 · i? · quant-synthesis · r3

Weighted linear regression moderator analysis across cross-sectional effect sizes found region was the only significant moderator, F(3,29) = 5.42, p = .004; European samples showed weaker associations than Asian and North American samples. The printed β values are unstandardised regression estimates, so no standardised effect size is reported here.

"The association between ToM and academic achievement was significantly lower for studies based in Europe compared with Asia and North America, tEurope-Asia = 2.48, β = .13, p = 0.02; tEurope-NorthAmerica = 3.64, β = 0.19, p < 0.001, and tending to significance compared to Oceania, ZEurope-Oceania = -0.16, p = 0.07."

Discussion¶

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