Executive Functions and Theory of Mind in Teachers and Non-Teachers
Human teaching is a key behavior for the socialization of cultural knowledge. Previous studies suggest that human teaching behavior would support the development of executive and ToM skills, which in turn would refine the teaching behavior. Given this connection, it raises the question of whether su...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Heliyon |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844023071232 |
| _version_ | 1797669803515707392 |
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| author | Paulo Barraza Eugenio Rodríguez |
| author_facet | Paulo Barraza Eugenio Rodríguez |
| author_sort | Paulo Barraza |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Human teaching is a key behavior for the socialization of cultural knowledge. Previous studies suggest that human teaching behavior would support the development of executive and ToM skills, which in turn would refine the teaching behavior. Given this connection, it raises the question of whether subjects with professional training in teaching also have more efficient executive and ToM systems. To shed light on this issue, in the present study we compared the performance of professional teachers (N = 20, age range = 35–61 years) with a matched control group of non-teachers (N = 20, age range: 29–64 years) on tasks measuring working memory (Sternberg Task), cognitive flexibility (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test), executive control (Attention Network Test), along with online ToM skills (Frith–Happé Animations Task), emotion recognition (Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test) and first-order and second-order ToM (Yoni Task). We found that teachers were significantly more accurate on tasks involving cognitive flexibility (p = .014) and working memory (p = .040), and more efficient on tasks requiring executive control of attention (p = .046), compared to non-teachers. In ToM tasks, differences in accuracy between teachers and non-teachers were not found. But, teachers were slower to respond than non-teachers (about 2 s difference) on tasks involving emotion recognition (p = .0007) and the use of second-order affective ToM (p = .006). Collectively, our findings raise an interesting link between professional teaching and the development of cognitive skills critical for decision-making in challenging social contexts such as the classroom. Future research could explore ways to foster teachers' strengths in cognitive flexibility, working memory, and executive control of attention to enhance teaching strategies and student learning outcomes. Additionally, exploring factors behind slower response times in affective ToM tasks can guide teacher-training programs focused on interpersonal skills and improve teacher-student interactions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T20:50:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e311ad2a8c88458eaa25a4ff0cbcfb7a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2405-8440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T20:50:04Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heliyon |
| spelling | doaj.art-e311ad2a8c88458eaa25a4ff0cbcfb7a2023-10-01T06:01:50ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402023-09-0199e19915Executive Functions and Theory of Mind in Teachers and Non-TeachersPaulo Barraza0Eugenio Rodríguez1Center for Advanced Research in Education (CIAE), University of Chile, 8330014, Santiago, Chile; Institute for Advanced Studies in Education (IE), University of Chile, 8330014, Santiago, Chile; Corresponding author. CIAE-IE University of Chile, Periodista José Carrasco Tapia 75, 8330014, Santiago, Chile.School of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, 7820436, Santiago, ChileHuman teaching is a key behavior for the socialization of cultural knowledge. Previous studies suggest that human teaching behavior would support the development of executive and ToM skills, which in turn would refine the teaching behavior. Given this connection, it raises the question of whether subjects with professional training in teaching also have more efficient executive and ToM systems. To shed light on this issue, in the present study we compared the performance of professional teachers (N = 20, age range = 35–61 years) with a matched control group of non-teachers (N = 20, age range: 29–64 years) on tasks measuring working memory (Sternberg Task), cognitive flexibility (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test), executive control (Attention Network Test), along with online ToM skills (Frith–Happé Animations Task), emotion recognition (Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test) and first-order and second-order ToM (Yoni Task). We found that teachers were significantly more accurate on tasks involving cognitive flexibility (p = .014) and working memory (p = .040), and more efficient on tasks requiring executive control of attention (p = .046), compared to non-teachers. In ToM tasks, differences in accuracy between teachers and non-teachers were not found. But, teachers were slower to respond than non-teachers (about 2 s difference) on tasks involving emotion recognition (p = .0007) and the use of second-order affective ToM (p = .006). Collectively, our findings raise an interesting link between professional teaching and the development of cognitive skills critical for decision-making in challenging social contexts such as the classroom. Future research could explore ways to foster teachers' strengths in cognitive flexibility, working memory, and executive control of attention to enhance teaching strategies and student learning outcomes. Additionally, exploring factors behind slower response times in affective ToM tasks can guide teacher-training programs focused on interpersonal skills and improve teacher-student interactions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844023071232 |
| spellingShingle | Paulo Barraza Eugenio Rodríguez Executive Functions and Theory of Mind in Teachers and Non-Teachers Heliyon |
| title | Executive Functions and Theory of Mind in Teachers and Non-Teachers |
| title_full | Executive Functions and Theory of Mind in Teachers and Non-Teachers |
| title_fullStr | Executive Functions and Theory of Mind in Teachers and Non-Teachers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Executive Functions and Theory of Mind in Teachers and Non-Teachers |
| title_short | Executive Functions and Theory of Mind in Teachers and Non-Teachers |
| title_sort | executive functions and theory of mind in teachers and non teachers |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844023071232 |
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