Table 1
Descriptive Statistics of the Sample.
| MEASURE | FULL SAMPLE (n = 119) | HIGH ALEXITHYMIA (n = 59) | LOW ALEXITHYMIA (n = 60) | FIRST-PERSON POV (n = 59) | THIRD-PERSON POV (n = 60) | CRONBACH’S α |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender (female) | 104 (87%) | 51 (86%) | 53 (88%) | 48 (81%) | 56 (93%) | |
| Age | M = 21.74, SD = 3.34, 95% CI [21.14, 22.35] | M = 20.88, SD = 2.62, 95% CI [20.20, 21.56] | M = 22.60, SD = 3.75, 95% CI [21.63, 23.57] | M = 21.91, SD = 3.20, 95% CI [21.08, 22.75] | M = 21.58, SD = 3.49, 95% CI [20.68, 22.48] | |
| Identification | M = 51.32, SD = 10.63, 95% CI [49.39, 53.25] | M = 51.43, SD = 10.59, 95% CI [48.67, 54.19] | M = 51.21, SD = 10.76, 95% CI [48.43, 53.99] | M = 51.97, SD = 7.87, 95% CI [49.92, 54.02] | M = 50.68, SD = 12.82, 95% CI [47.37, 53.99] | .88 |
| Transportation | M = 54.79, SD = 9.58, 95% CI [53.05, 56.53] | M = 54.25, SD = 9.26, 95% CI [51.83, 56.66] | M = 55.33, SD = 9.94, 95% CI [52.76, 57.90] | M = 55.81, SD = 8.39, 95% CI [53.62, 58.00] | M = 53.80, SD = 10.60, 95% CI [51.06, 56.54] | .71 |
| Alexithymia | M = 48.13, SD = 16.69, 95% CI [45.08, 51.17] | M = 61.37, SD = 11.05, 95% CI [58.46, 64.27] | M = 35.33, SD = 9.79, 95% CI [32.80, 37.86] | M = 48.87, SD = 16.58, 95% CI [44.51, 53.23] | M = 47.41, SD = 16.91, 95% CI [43.04, 51.78] | .93 |
| ToM Accuracy | M = 34.13, SD = 6.09, 95% CI [33.02, 35.23] | M = 33.55, SD = 5.24, 95% CI [32.18, 34.92] | M = 34.69, SD = 6.82, 95% CI [32.93, 36.46] | M = 34.45, SD = 6.17, 95% CI [32.84, 36.06] | M = 33.81, SD = 6.05, 95% CI [32.25, 35.37] | .86 |
| Affective ToM | M = 16.31, SD = 3.49, 95% CI [15.67, 16.94] | M = 16.00, SD = 3.37, 95% CI [15.11, 16.88] | M = 16.61, SD = 3.61, 95% CI [15.68, 17.55] | M = 16.16, SD = 3.90, 95% CI [15.15, 17.18] | M = 16.45, SD = 3.07, 95% CI [15.65, 17.24] | .76 |
| Cognitive ToM | M = 17.72, SD = 3.44, 95% CI [17.09, 18.34] | M = 17.81, SD = 3.44, 95% CI [16.91, 18.71] | M = 17.63, SD = 3.47, 95% CI [16.73, 18.53] | M = 18.05, SD = 3.37, 95% CI [17.17, 18.92] | M = 17.40, SD = 3.51, 95% CI [16.49, 18.30] | .81 |
[i] Note. ToM = Theory of Mind; Identification scale total score ranges from 10 to 70; Transportation scale total score ranges from 12 to 84. Alexithymia scale total score ranges from 20 to 80. ToM accuracy scores range from 0 to 48; Affective and Cognitive ToM sub-scores each range from 0 to 21.
Figure 1
Mean ToM Scores by Narrative PoV and Alexithymia Levels.
Effects of narrative point of view and trait alexithymia on theory of mind performance in the Yoni task.
Table 2
Unstandardized Regression Coefficients Predicting Outcome Variables.
| MEASURE | MODEL 1 | MODEL 2 | MODEL 3 | MODEL 4 | MODEL 5 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| b (SE) | t (p) | b (SE) | t (p) | b (SE) | t (p) | b (SE) | t (p) | b (SE) | t (p) | |
| Intercept | 34.58 (0.80) | 42.82 (<.001) | 55.81 (1.27) | 43.80 (<.001) | 51.85 (1.41) | 36.69 (<.001) | 16.32 (0.45) | 36.23 (<.001) | 18.09 (0.48) | 38.03 (<.001) |
| PoV | –0.78 (1.13) | –0.69 (.48) | –2.02 (1.78) | –1.13 (.26) | –1.11 (1.98) | –0.56 (.57) | 0.16 (0.63) | 0.25 (.802) | –0.44 (0.67) | –0.65 (.514) |
| Alexithymia | –0.02 (0.04) | –0.52 (.60) | 0.01 (0.07) | 0.23 (.82) | 0.01 (0.08) | 0.15 (.88) | –0.01 (0.03) | –0.55 (.585) | –0.00 (0.03) | –0.15 (.883) |
| PoV × Alexithymia | 0.007 (0.06) | 0.10 (.91) | –0.03 (0.10) | –0.30 (.76) | 0.05 (0.11) | 0.44 (.65) | 0.01 (0.04) | 0.24 (.808) | –0.03 (0.04) | –0.69 (.493) |
[i] Note. PoV = Point of View; Model 1: PoV × alexithymia predicting ToM; Model 2: PoV × alexithymia predicting transportation; Model 3: PoV × alexithymia predicting identification; Model 4: PoV × alexithymia predicting Affective ToM; Model 5: PoV × alexithymia predicting Cognitive ToM.
Table 3
Bayesian Model Comparison Results Across Outcomes.
| OUTCOME VARIABLE | BF (INTERACTION) | BF (PoV) | BF (ALEXITHYMIA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ToM Accuracy | 0.23 | 0.09 | 0.04 |
| Identification | 0.31 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Transportation | 0.31 | 0.26 | 0.09 |
| Affective ToM | 0.16 | 0.04 | 0.02 |
| Cognitive ToM | 0.17 | 0.06 | 0.02 |
[i] Note. PoV = point of view; BF = Bayes factor comparing full interaction model with reduced model. BF < 1 indicates evidence in favor of the reduced model (i.e., no effect). Interpretation of Bayes factors follows Jeffreys’ (1961) classification, where values between 0.10 and 0.33 indicate moderate evidence in favor of the null hypothesis, and values below 0.10 indicate strong evidence supporting the null hypothesis.