Executive Function, Theory of Mind, and Conduct-Problem Symptoms in Middle Childhood
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Summary
This study investigates the longitudinal relationships between executive function (EF), Theory of Mind (ToM), and conduct-problem (CP) symptoms in middle childhood. While previous research established links between these constructs, it was largely limited to cross-sectional designs, small clinical samples, or preschool-aged children. The authors aimed to clarify whether EF skills predict later CP symptoms in a general population and whether ToM abilities mediate this relationship, controlling for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and fluid intelligence. The researchers analyzed data from a population-based sample of 1,657 children aged 6 to 11 years. Assessments occurred at two time points approximately one year apart (T1 and T2). At T1, EF skills (flexibility, inhibition, and working memory) and ToM abilities were measured using computerized tasks. CP symptoms and ADHD symptoms were assessed via parent-rated questionnaires at both T1 and T2. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypothesized mediation model, treating EF, ToM, and CP symptoms as latent variables to account for measurement error. The analysis controlled for covariates including age, gender, fluid intelligence, ADHD symptoms, and baseline CP symptoms. The results demonstrated a significant negative relationship between T1 EF skills and T2 CP symptoms ($\beta = -0.136, p = 0.043$), indicating that better executive function predicted fewer conduct problems one year later, even after accounting for ADHD symptoms and other controls. Crucially, this relationship was fully mediated by T1 ToM abilities. Specifically, higher EF skills were associated with better ToM performance, which in turn predicted lower CP symptoms at T2 ($\beta = -0.157, p = 0.023$). The direct effect of EF on CP symptoms became non-significant when ToM was included in the model, confirming full mediation. The model explained 66.6% of the variance in T2 CP symptoms. These findings highlight the interactive roles of behavioral control and mental state understanding in the development of conduct problems during middle childhood. The study suggests that EF supports the development of ToM, which subsequently helps regulate social behavior and reduce conduct problems. By demonstrating this mechanism in a large, non-clinical sample, the research underscores the importance of considering cognitive and social-cognitive processes together when identifying risk factors for externalizing behaviors. This provides a basis for interventions targeting both executive control and perspective-taking skills to mitigate conduct problems in the general population.
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| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | Crossref | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| archive | success | canonical_url | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-26 |
| clean | success | clean | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| chunk | success | chunk | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| embed | success | embed | Qwen/Qwen3-Embedding-8B | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| enrich | success | openalex | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 6 | 2026-06-20 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-26; verification: verified.
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