{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,24]],"date-time":"2025-11-24T12:44:58Z","timestamp":1763988298655,"version":"3.45.0"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,12]],"date-time":"2025-09-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1757635200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Int J Psychol"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,10]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>The relationship between imaginary companions (ICs) and the development of children's theory of mind (ToM) has aroused the interest of many researchers in the area of imaginary play. This study sought to investigate the potential causal relationships between ICs and ToM and between child\u2013IC relationship quality and ToM using a longitudinal design. The present study included 104 Chinese preschool children and ran over approximately 13\u2009months. IC status (with and without ICs) and child\u2013IC relationship quality (egalitarian and hierarchical) were measured twice, at 1\u2009month and 13\u2009months. ToM was measured only once, at 7\u2009months. Path analysis and bootstrap analysis with offset corrections were used to explore potential causal paths. The results revealed that ICs had a positive effect on ToM, but ToM could not predict IC status. No causal relationship existed between child\u2013IC relationship quality and ToM in children with ICs at both Time 1 and 3. Children with higher scores on receptive vocabulary were more likely to create egalitarian child\u2013IC relationships. Future researchers could further optimise the research design and investigate the internal mechanism of the existing causal relationships.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1002\/ijop.70109","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,12]],"date-time":"2025-09-12T08:43:41Z","timestamp":1757666621000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Chinese Children's Imaginary Companions and Theory of Mind: A Longitudinal Analysis"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"60","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8680-3186","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Qiyi","family":"Lin","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Education Science Huaiyin Normal University  Huaian People's Republic of China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yingjia","family":"Leng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Education Science Huaiyin Normal University  Huaian People's Republic of China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nan","family":"Zhou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Nursing and Midwifery Jiangsu College of Nursing  Huaian People's Republic of China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6231-8976","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shimin","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Education Science Huaiyin Normal University  Huaian People's Republic of China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xinyue","family":"Jiang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Education Science Huaiyin Normal University  Huaian People's Republic of China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_13_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0276236621999324"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/acprof:oso\/9780195159912.001.0001"},{"volume-title":"Expanded Mannual for the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test","year":"1965","author":"Dunn L. M.","key":"e_1_2_13_4_1"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.16719\/j.cnki.1671\u20106981.2010.01.018"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/\/0012\u20101649.38.6.979"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_7_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3758\/s13420\u2010017\u20100284\u2010z"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_8_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/sode.12078"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_9_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/\/0012\u20101649.36.4.419"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_10_1","first-page":"1235","volume-title":"The New Cognitive Neurosciences","author":"Leslie A. M.","year":"2000"},{"volume-title":"A Survey on the Relations of Imaginary Character in Fantasy Play to Theory of Mind","year":"2009","author":"Li X.","key":"e_1_2_13_11_1"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_12_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/cdev.12227"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_13_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/ijop.12392"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_14_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2022.899047"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_15_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2224\/sbp.8845"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_16_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/ijop.12546"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_17_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/17405629.2017.1280022"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_18_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2016.00221"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_19_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.13110\/merrpalmquar"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_20_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/17405629.2014.932278"},{"volume-title":"Test of Emotion Comprehension: TEC","year":"2000","author":"Pons F.","key":"e_1_2_13_21_1"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_22_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1467\u20107687.2008.00699.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_23_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/archneurpsyc.1934.02250110073006"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_24_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0010\u20100277(00)00069\u2010X"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_25_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1467\u20108624.1997.tb01950.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_26_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/0012\u20101649.40.6.1173"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_27_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1467\u20108624.2009.01333.x"},{"volume-title":"Latent variable modeling using Mplus","year":"2014","author":"Wang M.","key":"e_1_2_13_28_1"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_29_1","unstructured":"Wang T.2015.The Experimental Research of Cultivating Children's Emotion Understanding Ability at the Age of 4 to 5Unpublished master's thesis Tianjin Normal University Tianjin."},{"volume-title":"Psychological and Educational Statistics","year":"2016","author":"Wen Z.","key":"e_1_2_13_30_1"},{"issue":"3","key":"e_1_2_13_31_1","first-page":"327","article-title":"Development of Attibution of Second\u2010Order False\u2010Beliefs by 3\u2010to\u20106\u2010Year\u2010Old Children","volume":"36","author":"Zhang W.","year":"2004","journal-title":"Acta Psychologica Sinica"},{"issue":"6","key":"e_1_2_13_32_1","first-page":"760","article-title":"Relationship Between Children's Second\u2010Order False Belief, Prosocial Behavior and Peer Acceptance","volume":"37","author":"Zhao J.","year":"2005","journal-title":"Acta Psychologica Sinica"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_33_1","unstructured":"Zhuo M.2008.Study on the Development of Emotion Comprehension of 2\u20139 Year\u2010Old ChildrenUnpublished master's thesis Zhejiang University Hangzhou."}],"container-title":["International Journal of Psychology"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1002\/ijop.70109","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,24]],"date-time":"2025-11-24T12:31:32Z","timestamp":1763987492000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1002\/ijop.70109"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,12]]},"references-count":32,"journal-issue":{"issue":"5","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,10]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1002\/ijop.70109"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/ijop.70109","archive":["Portico"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["0020-7594","1464-066X"],"issn-type":[{"type":"print","value":"0020-7594"},{"type":"electronic","value":"1464-066X"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,12]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2024-09-05","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2025-09-02","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2025-09-12","order":3,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}],"article-number":"e70109"}}