Narrative and Theory of Mind

Abstract This chapter examines how theory of mind (ToM) is related to narrative—the way we think about people’s thoughts and actions, narrative comprehension, how reading narratives may promote ToM, and narrative ToM training studies. Whereas other chapters have focused more heavily on the childhood years, this chapter focuses on narrative and ToM in adulthood, where relevant. This chapter begins with a definition of narrative and then explores the ways ToM and narrative comprehension are related. This chapter also explores how exposure to stories relates to ToM through childhood to adulthood, examining both correlational and causal evidence. Finally, we explore causal evidence for the relation between ToM and narrative, primarily through narrative ToM training studies that improve ToM, but also through evidence that ToM training studies improve narrative comprehension. Because this chapter concerns reading comprehension, an academic skill, this chapter necessarily draws from other disciplines, such as education and literary arts.