Research has demonstrated that theory of mind (ToM), that is the ability to understand other’s thoughts and feelings, declines with age. However, less is known about older people’s perceptions about their own ability to “read” the mind of others. In the current study, we provide initial evidence on this issue by: (a) examining age-related differences in ToM personal beliefs; (b) analyzing the relation between personal beliefs and actual performance; and (c) investigating whether ToM, either beliefs or ability, explains individual differences in social relationships. Twenty-five independently living older adults and 26 young adults were administered both personal beliefs and performance-based ToM measures. Social relationships were analyzed by considering family members and friends separately. Results indicated lower ToM ability in older adults compared to younger participants, but no age-related differences in ToM personal beliefs. Furthermore, personal beliefs and performance were not associated in either young or older adults. Finally, regression analyses indicated that both ToM personal beliefs and ToM ability were significant predictors of relationships with friends, but not with family members. Overall, our findings indicated that, notwithstanding their impairment in ToM, older adults were as confident as young adults in their ability to understand others’ minds. Crucially, we found preliminary evidence that ToM, both beliefs and ability, are relevant for people’s social behavior, positively predicting better friendships.

中文翻译：

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老年人关于他们了解他人心理状态的能力的信念

研究表明，心理理论（ToM）（即理解他人思想和能力的能力）会随着年龄的增长而下降。但是，关于老年人对自己“阅读”他人思想能力的看法知之甚少。在当前的研究中，我们通过以下方式提供了有关该问题的初步证据：（a）研究与年龄相关的ToM个人信念差异；（b）分析个人信念与实际表现之间的关系；（c）调查ToM（无论是信仰还是能力）是否能解释社会关系中的个体差异。对25名独立生活的老年人和26名年轻人进行了个人信仰和基于绩效的ToM评估。通过分别考虑家人和朋友来分析社会关系。结果表明，与年轻参与者相比，老年人的ToM能力较低，但在ToM个人信念上没有与年龄相关的差异。此外，无论是年轻人还是老年人，个人的信念和表现都不相关。最后，回归分析表明，ToM的个人信念和ToM能力都是与朋友而非家庭成员关系的重要预测指标。总体而言，我们的研究结果表明，尽管ToM受损，但老年人在理解他人思想方面的能力与年轻人一样有信心。至关重要的是，我们发现了初步的证据表明，ToM（信念和能力）与人们的社会行为有关，从而积极预测了更好的友谊。个人的信仰和表现与年轻人或老年人无关。最后，回归分析表明，ToM的个人信念和ToM能力都是与朋友而不是与家人的关系的重要预测指标。总体而言，我们的研究结果表明，尽管ToM受损，但老年人在理解他人思想方面的能力与年轻人一样有信心。至关重要的是，我们发现了初步的证据表明，ToM（信念和能力）都与人们的社会行为有关，从而积极地预示着更好的友谊。个人的信仰和表现与年轻人或老年人无关。最后，回归分析表明，ToM的个人信念和ToM能力都是与朋友而不是与家人的关系的重要预测指标。总体而言，我们的研究结果表明，尽管ToM受损，但老年人在理解他人思想方面的能力与年轻人一样有信心。至关重要的是，我们发现了初步的证据表明，ToM（信念和能力）都与人们的社会行为有关，从而积极地预示着更好的友谊。我们的发现表明，尽管老年人的ToM受损，但他们在理解他人思想方面的能力与年轻人一样有信心。至关重要的是，我们发现了初步的证据表明，ToM（信念和能力）都与人们的社会行为有关，从而积极预示了更好的友谊。我们的发现表明，尽管老年人的ToM受损，但他们在理解他人思想方面的能力与年轻人一样有信心。至关重要的是，我们发现了初步的证据表明，ToM（信念和能力）都与人们的社会行为有关，从而积极预示了更好的友谊。