Suggestion effects in preschoolers: Mentalist skills and individual differences in suggestibility

Relationships between mentalist skills, memory and suggestibility in preschoolers are examined. A total of two experimental sessions were developed. First, ninety-nine preschoolers (age 39 to 87 months) were administered two scales related with Theory of Mind and Individual Suggestibility. A week later, a different interviewer asked the children free recall and recognition questions as well as suggestive questions about activities performed in session 1. Preschoolers with low scores in Theory of Mind accepted more often suggestions, exhibited lower levels of free recall and recognition, and scored higher in Suggestibility. In applied contexts, this means that preschoolers with less developed theory of mind will fail more in their recall, they will be the object of more suggestions, and they will be more prone to accept suggestions.