Does chess-playing relate to theory of mind? An examination of the interrelations among theory of mind, perspective-taking, and empathic concern in chess-players (¿El juego de ajedrez tiene relación con la teoría de la mente? Un análisis de las interrelaciones entre la teoría de la mente, la toma de perspectiva, y el interés empático de los jugadores de ajedrez)

ABSTRACT

Theory of mind (ToM) is the ability to attribute mental states such as thoughts, desires and intentions to oneself and others. ToM is important for social interactions because having an accurate representation of the mental states of others can guide social approaches. One strategy for promoting social thinking might be to engage others in chess. It seems likely that the ability to understand one’s own and others’ mental states could be important in understanding opponents’ views. The present study examined relations between two types of theory of mind (constructivist theory of mind and embedded false belief understanding), empathic concern and perspective-taking skills with chess-playing. Participants included 233 adults, ages 18 to 70 years (M = 26.27, SD = 11.73). Results of regression analyses indicated that frequency of chess-playing predicted performance on ToM measures, even with age, income, empathic concern and perspective-taking entered as simultaneous predictors. Study implications and applications are discussed.