Theory of Mind
Theory of Mind (ToM) is the cognitive ability we have to identify the mental states of other beings (e.g., their thoughts or points of view). This ability helps us understand others’ intentions and is perhaps integral to developing empathy, as socially-informed decisions may be influenced by both empathy and ToM.

How to test for ToM?
There are different tasks available to test for ToM; for example, a simple way to test ToM in young children is a version of the false-belief test. Let’s play out an example here:

Let’s say that there are two picnic baskets, a pink one and a green one. Bob puts a burger in the pink basket, and then walks out of the room. Then, the burger is moved by a mysterious force into the green basket. Bob comes back. The question for you is: Where is Bob going to look for the burger, in the pink or green basket?

The correct answer is the pink basket, because that is the basket he puts his burger in; the fact that the burger was moved into the green one is unknown to Bob. We know that, but Bob doesn’t. Children still developing their ToM would choose the green basket because they would still fail to account for Bob’s perspective, simply taking their own to inform their response.

(Did you say pink basket? Probably you did, unless my explanation confused you – it makes more sense if you read it from my perspective)

Bilingual Advantage for ToM?
Though some research suggests a bilingual advantage for ToM, and especially for young bilingual children (e.g., Yu et al., 2021; Schroeder, 2018), results are still non-definitive, as many, if not all, are correlational, so clear conclusions could not be made on the connection. Yu et al. (2021) propose that bilingualism, rather than advancing ToM processes, may provide more opportunities to develop skills that support ToM.

Some research on older adult bilinguals, however, does seem to support the idea of bilingual advantage. Yow and Li (2025) found that older adults who acquired their second language earlier in life often showed better ToM, hinting at a link between early bilingualism and the maintenance of ToM into old age. Once again, this could be due to the opportunities bilingualism brings throughout life, and perhaps simply, the maintenance of opportunities permits the maintenance of abilities.

References and Resources

Yu, C. L., Kovelman, I., & Wellman, H. M. (2021). How Bilingualism Informs Theory of Mind Development. Child development perspectives, 15(3), 154–159. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12412
Also found at this link:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8881004/

Lombardi, E., Di Dio, C., Castelli, I., Massaro, D., Marchetti, A., & Valle, A. (2026). Growing decision-making: the role of theory of mind, empathy, and personality traits in school-age children. Frontiers in psychology, 17, 1708789. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1708789
Also found at this link:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12909229/

Schroeder, S. R. (2018). Do Bilinguals Have an Advantage in Theory of Mind? A Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in Communication, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2018.00036
Also found at this link:
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/communication/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2018.00036/full

Yow, W. Q., & Li, X. (2025). Theory-of-mind understanding in aging: Effects of early bilingual language experience. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 29(1), 107–119. doi:10.1017/S1366728925000240
Also found at this link:
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bilingualism-language-and-cognition/article/theoryofmind-understanding-in-aging-effects-of-early-bilingual-language-experience/6B621FAE222AB56C987D57045E009B83

Cover Photo
https://unsplash.com/photos/closeup-photography-of-brown-wicker-basket-qG37GMUDAJ0

For more information on Theory of Mind tasks:
Byom, L. J., & Mutlu, B. (2013). Theory of mind: mechanisms, methods, and new directions. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 7, 413. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00413
Also found at this link:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3737477/