Mind-mindedness and self–other distinction: Contrasts between Japanese and British mothers’ speech samples

Abstract

To elucidate cultural contrasts in children's family environments, we conducted in-depth, direct comparisons of mind-mindedness and self–other distinction from maternal speech. The study included 5-min speech samples of 225 mothers from Japan (N = 111) and the U.K. (N = 114) talking about their 3- to 6-year-old children (including 11 sibling pairs, n = 236). Compared with Japanese mothers, British mothers spoke significantly more, gave a significantly higher proportion of child-focused and mind-related comments, and also showed a stronger self–other distinction. In addition, within each country, there was a positive relation between mothers’ references to children in the singular (as opposed to plural) form and their mind-mindedness. Together, the current findings highlight cultural variations in maternal mind-mindedness, explicit–implicit communication style, and self–other distinction, and also suggest further exploration of relations among them.