Abstract

URQUIJO, María Fernanda et al. Influence of Social Risk in the Theory of Mind and Executive Functions of Colombian Teenagers. Univ. Psychol. [online]. 2017, vol.16, n.2, pp.37-50. ISSN 1657-9267.  https://doi.org/10.11144/javeriana.upsy16-2.irst.

The objective of the present study was to determine the influence of social risk in the performance of Colombian adolescents in ToM and EF tasks. The participants were 78 adolescents (41 in social risk and 37 controls) between 13 and 16 years of age. The Stroop Test, the Pyramid of Mexico subtest and the Faux Pas Recognition Test where used to assess inhibitory Control, Planning and ToM in the participants, respectively. Although no significant differences were found in the executive functions of Inhibiting Control and Planning, some differences were found in the performance of the ToM test. Additionally, whereas in the control group a relationship between ToM and executive functions was observed, in the at social risk group these processes were not related. These findings reveal that being at social risk does not affect the Executive Functions of Control and Planning but it does have an effect in the ability to make inferences about the mental states of others. Moreover, being at social risk can be an environmental factor that can dissociate the development process of social cognition and executive functions, which are supposed to occur parallelly.

Keywords : theory of mind; executive functions; social risk; inhibitory control.

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