The Mediating Role of Metacognition in the Relationship between the Theory of Mind and Working Memory

Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology Vol.7 Issue.4

Doi:10.35365/ctjpp.25.4.01

RESEARCH ARTICLE / ARAŞTIRMA YAZISI

The Mediating Role of Metacognition in the Relationship between the Theory of Mind and Working Memory

Zihin Kuramı ile Çalışma Belleği Arasındaki İlişkide Üstbilişin Aracı Rolü

Canan Keleş Ertürk¹, Kezban Tepeli²

Abstract:

This study examined the mediating role of metacognition in the relationship between ToM and working memory. The independent variable of this study was working memory, the dependent variable was ToM, and the mediating variable was metacognition. This study was conducted using a general survey model with 300 children in the age group of five years who attended an independent kindergarten affiliated with the Ministry of National Education in Konya city center. General Information Form, Metacognitive Knowledge Interview Form (McKI), Theory of Mind Task Battery (TOMTB), and Working Memory Scale were used as data collection tools. In the data analysis, the relationships between the measurements were examined. It was seen that there was a statistically significant positive relationship between the scores of the Metacognitive Knowledge Interview Form (McKI) and the Theory of Mind Task Battery (TOMTB); between the Working Memory Scale and the Theory of Mind Task Battery (TOMTB); and between the Working Memory Scale and the Metacognitive Knowledge Interview Form (McKI) (p<0.05). When the mediation model was established, it was seen that the theory of mind had no statistically significant effect on working memory; metacognition had a significant positive impact on working memory, and theory of mind and metacognition significantly explained the change in working memory scores. These results support the main hypothesis that the theory of mind significantly affects working memory through metacognition.

Keywords: Metacognition, Working Memory, Theory of Mind, Cognitive Development, Mediation Analysis.

¹Asst. Prof., KTO Karatay University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Child Development, Konya, Türkiye, E-mail: [email protected], Orcid Id: 0000-0001-6247-0073.

²Prof.Dr., Selcuk University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Child Development, Konya, Türkiye, E-mail: [email protected] Orcid Id: 0000-0003-3403-3890.

Address of Correspondence/Yazışma Adresi: Canan Keleş Ertürk, KTO Karatay University, Akabe, Alaaddin Kap Street No:130, Karatay 42020, Konya, Turkey, E-mail: [email protected]

Date of Received/Geliş Tarihi: 23.03.2025, Date of Revision/Düzeltme Tarihi: 12.04.2025, Date of Acceptance/Kabul Tarihi: 02.06.2025, Date of Online Publication/Çevirimiçi Yayın Tarihi: 15.12.2025

Citing/Referans Gösterimi: Keleş Ertürk, C. & Tepeli, K. (2025). The Mediating Role of Metacognition in the Relationship between the Theory of Mind and Working Memory. Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, 7(4), 338-348.

© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Cyprus Mental Health Institute / Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry and Psychology (www.ktppdergisi.com). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/