Although the association between executive functions (EFs) and Theory-of-Mind (ToM) has been often investigated, the way in which everyday difficulties in cool and hot EFs relate to measures of cognitive and affective ToM in preschoolers is currently unclear, for two reasons. First, because studies that distinguished between cognitive and affective ToM did not examine preschoolers below 5 years. Second, because previous research investigating the links between EFs and ToM has almost always relied on performance-based executive measures. To our knowledge, only few studies have used standardized questionnaires (such as the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function: BRIEF-P) measuring both cool and hot EFs outside of the laboratory setting, even if these questionnaires can be more valid in identifying the severity of children EFs' deficits in everyday life, as reported by adults that interact with them in different contexts (e.g. caregivers, parents, teachers). Thus, the primary aim of the present cross-sectional project will be to ascertain whether cognitive and affective ToM skills are related to EFs problems in different subscales of the BRIEF-P in preschoolers, controlling for age and language ability. The results will have implications: a) for understanding if and how the associations between EFs and cognitive/affective ToM vary depending on the methods used to assess executive functions (direct vs. indirect measures, i.e. performances in laboratory settings vs behavioral ratings in daily activities); and b) for developing effective intervention programs aimed at increasing preschoolers' socio-cognitive competences thorough the improvement of their EFs skills.
The present study may contribute to the knowledge of the relationship between EFs and ToM both from a theoretical and a practical point of view. First of all, while the use of performance-based tasks has been the most popular option in literature, the present research will use a standardized questionnaire (i.e., the BRIEF-P) measuring both cool and hot EFs outside the laboratory setting (i.e in the conditions of real life). The use of the BRIEF-P will allow us to have a measure of the executive difficulties of preschool children detected by adults (in particular, in this study by the teachers) in different contexts, identifying the impact and the severity that these difficulties can have in everyday life. A second advantage of using the BRIEF-P is that it yields a score of EFs on five different scales, reflecting different abilities spanning both cool and hot EFs (Inhibition, Shift, Emotional Control, Working Memory, and Plan/Organize). Finally, there is evidence that performance-based and rating measures of EFs do not tap the same constructs (Toplak et al., 2013), capturing the efficiency of cognitive processes and the success in goal pursuit, respectively. Thus, the present study, by using standardized questionnaires to investigate the between EFs and ToM, can lead to conclusions partially different from those obtained with performance-based measures, adding a relevant contribution to the literature.
Furthermore, findings from the present study could give further confirmation of the critical role that EFs play in the emergence of the ability to reason about mental states in preschool children. Until now, very few studies examined the way in which EFs are related to cognitive and affective ToM, differentiating between hot and cool EFs, in particular among preschoolers below 5 years.
Finally, from a practical point of view, findings from the present study might have relevant implications for designing effective intervention programs aimed at fostering the development and the improvement of preschoolers' EFs skills, highlighting the importance of considering both the cool and the hot aspects of EFs. In particular, findings from the present study could give important indications on how these training interventions should be carried out within educational contexts, which by definition represent challenging situations for the children's development of socio-cognitive skills through interactions with multiple adults (i.e., more than one educator) and peers of different ages. Therefore, improving EFs skills in preschool children might allow them to be more flexible in their social interactions and might have a beneficial impact on the development of ToM abilities (e.g., emotional comprehension, considering the cognitive and emotional perspective of others, empathy, social adjustment and social understanding), promoting in turn adaptive psychosocial functioning.