Maternal mind-mindedness: Transmission mechanisms and predicting development into early adulthood

Mind-mindedness is the ability to 'tune in' to what babies are thinking or feeling. A parent shows they are being mind-minded by talking to their baby about his her her thoughts and feelings - saying that the baby wants the car if she gestures towards it, or is surprised if he looks wide-eyed when the toy starts playing a tune. Our previous ESRC research has investigated how mothers' mind-mindedness predicts children's later development. In this research, we have recruited two separate samples of around 200 mothers and children. Both samples have been studied from the first year of the children's lives. The proposed project will follow up the two samples at critical ages: the preschool years and early adulthood.

Previous research has shown that mind-mindedness is a good predictor of children's development up to age 11. Research has shown that higher levels of mind-mindedness in the first year of life predict children having a better understanding of other people's thoughts and feelings at age 4. Having a parent who is good at reading your mind seems in turn to make you a better mind-reader. But at present, we do not understand how parents' mind-mindedness impacts on children's later understanding of people's mental states. The proposed research will attempt to answer this question. One factor that may be important is children's ability to control their emotions and behaviour in the preschool years. Previous research has shown that mind-mindedness predicts preschoolers' self-control abilities, and that these abilities predict children's later understanding of people's mental states. This project will be the first to investigate mind-mindedness, self-control in the preschool years and children's mental state understanding in the same group of families. Our investigation will shed light on the developmental pathways from parents' mind-minded interactions with their young babies to children's understanding that human behaviour is governed by what people think, feel and believe.

By following up our second sample, the proposed project also represents a unique opportunity to provide an in-depth longitudinal record of children's development from the first year of life to early adulthood. In a number of previous ESRC awards, we have collected data on these children from the first year of life until age 11. The children come from wide-ranging social and economic backgrounds. In the children from disadvantaged backgrounds, our findings show that mothers' early mind-mindedness is related to children having fewer behaviour problems in the preschool years and to better achievement in national standardised assessment tests (SATs) at ages 7 and 11. The proposed study is scheduled to coincide with the children turning age 18, and a number of key factors will be assessed at this age. We will collect data on children's academic performance at ages 16 and 18, as well as university and career destinations. Risk-taking behaviours and thrill-seeking responses will be assessed using a computer driving task and a virtual reality roller coaster ride. The young adults will also complete self-report measures on their mental health, engagement in risky behaviours and their feelings about their relationships with both parents and with peers and romantic partners. Following up this sample in early adulthood will allow us to investigate whether mothers' mind-mindedness in the first year of life predicts their children's development 18 years later. We will also explore whether the positive effect of mind-mindedness on disadvantaged children's educational attainment is sustained in late adolescence and early adulthood. The proposed project has considerable potential for identifying predictors of poorer mental health and risky behaviours in early adulthood, and for informing interventions targeting the negative impact of poverty.

Our previous research has demonstrated that early mind-mindedness predicts wide-ranging positive aspects of children's development. We expect the proposed project to show further outcomes associated with mind-mindedness, as well as shedding light on the developmental pathways via which mind-mindedness impacts on children's development. We have already found that mind-mindedness predicts age-11 educational attainment in children from disadvantaged backgrounds, a finding that has the potential to inform interventions targeted at mitigating the negative effect of child poverty. We have also demonstrated that it is possible to intervene and teach parents to be more mind-minded. Given the demonstrated links between mind-mindedness and children's development, such interventions are likely to improve children's developmental outcomes via their impact on parents' mind-mindedness. The results of the proposed project will indicate predictors of children's educational attainment at ages 16 and 18, continuation to higher education and career pathways. It will also investigate predictors of risk-taking and risky behaviours in early adulthood and children's emotional and behavioural control in the preschool years. In helping us to understand the predictors of development, this research will benefit children and parents, with disadvantaged families being major beneficiaries.

The Department for Education at Westminster and the Scottish Government have already shown interest in our findings relating to disadvantaged children's educational outcome. The results of the proposed project on predictors of children's longer term outcomes are likely to be of even more interest to policy-makers and politicians. The proposed study's findings will also be of benefit to professionals working with families and children. The applicants already have well-established links with health visitors, early years professionals, social workers and organisations working with troubled families (local councils and police forces), and the new longitudinal findings will feed into the applicants' ongoing collaborations, consultation and training with these groups. The research will be beneficial to policy-makers and practitioners because it will highlight potential ways intervene in order to reduce the risk of children engaging in risky behaviours or failing to reach their potential.