Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40808450›Full record

SynthesisPhilosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences2025

On the inherent yet dynamic link between metaphor and Theory of Mind in middle childhood: meta-analytic evidence from a research programme bridging experimental pragmatics and developmental psychology.

Valentina Bambini, Chiara Battaglini, Federico Frau, Chiara Pompei, Paola Del Sette, Serena Lecce

Abstract readMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. At the heart of human communication: new views on the complex relationship between pragmatics and Theory of Mind.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Valentina BambiniLaboratory of Neurolinguistics and Experimental Pragmatics (NEPLab), Department of Humanities and Life Sciences, University School for Advanced Studies IUSS, Pavia 27100, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-5770-228X
Chiara BattagliniLaboratory of Neurolinguistics and Experimental Pragmatics (NEPLab), Department of Humanities and Life Sciences, University School for Advanced Studies IUSS, Pavia 27100, Italy.ORCID 0009-0000-5488-4612
Federico FrauLaboratory of Neurolinguistics and Experimental Pragmatics (NEPLab), Department of Humanities and Life Sciences, University School for Advanced Studies IUSS, Pavia 27100, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-4567-782X
Chiara PompeiLaboratory of Neurolinguistics and Experimental Pragmatics (NEPLab), Department of Humanities and Life Sciences, University School for Advanced Studies IUSS, Pavia 27100, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-4381-3947
Paola Del SetteIRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova 16132, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-6696-2139
Serena LecceDepartment of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia 27100, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-2745-3574

Funding

European Research CouncilMinistero dell'Università e della Ricerca
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

We present the outcome of a decade-long research programme targeting the relationship between individual differences in metaphor skills and Theory of Mind (ToM), based on the use of the Physical and Mental Metaphors (PMM) task alongside the Strange Stories task in neurotypical children throughout middle childhood. A meta-analysis conducted on our published and unpublished articles, including 500 children aged 8-12 years, showed that metaphor and ToM are significantly associated, even when controlling for vocabulary. This association peaks around the age of 9 years and fades away with increasing age. A critical review of our longitudinal and training studies evidenced that it is especially metaphor understanding that benefits ToM, rather than

Indexed as

Child DevelopmentMetaphorTheory of MindChildHumansPsychology, Developmentaldevelopmental pragmaticsexperimental pragmaticsfigurative languagemetaphortheory of mindtypical development

Identifiers

PMID40808450
PMCPMC12351319

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.