Pragmatic comprehension and inferential ability: interplay with executive functions and Theory of Mind

Certain aspects of human cognition, such as pragmatic ability, Theory of Mind and executive functions, develop during childhood. This is the first study to apply comprehensive empirical analysis to investigate the relationship between these variables and the role of inferential ability in the communicative-pragmatic performance of pre-school and school-age children. The sample was composed of 104 children aged 3–8 years. Pragmatic tasks addressed the comprehension of sincere, deceitful and ironic communicative acts. Inferential ability was assessed using scalar implicatures: the quantifiers Some, All, None. Theory of Mind and executive functions were assessed using specific items from standardized assessment batteries. The children’s performance on all tasks was found to increase with age, suggesting gradation of difficulty from easier to more difficult pragmatic tasks, and comprehension of sincere, deceitful and ironic communicative acts, respectively. Regression analysis revealed that age, intelligence quotient and executive functions (particularly inhibition and working memory) predicted pragmatic performance. After controlling for this effect, we noted that inferential ability remained a critical predictor, whereas Theory of Mind did not emerge as a predictor for any communicative act, suggesting that pragmatic ability involves multiple cognitive processes beyond Theory of Mind. This article is part of the theme issue ‘At the heart of human communication: new views on the complex relationship between pragmatics and Theory of Mind’.