Gifts for the Dead: Maya Children's Developing Theory of Mind and Their Participation in Día de los Muertos

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dc.contributor.advisorMaynard, Ashley
dc.contributor.authorBowen, Kristy Elizabeth Jo
dc.contributor.departmentPsychology
dc.date.accessioned2025-02-20T22:36:35Z
dc.date.available2025-02-20T22:36:35Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.description.degreePh.D.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10125/110179
dc.subjectPsychology
dc.subjectCultural anthropology
dc.subjectDevelopmental psychology
dc.subjectDay of the Dead
dc.subjectDeath
dc.subjectMaya
dc.subjectTheory of Mind
dc.titleGifts for the Dead: Maya Children's Developing Theory of Mind and Their Participation in Día de los Muertos
dc.typeThesis
dcterms.abstractThis study sought to understand the ways in which participation in cultural activities with others may shape Maya children’s development of Theory of Mind (ToM). During Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico, Maya children participate by helping adults to prepare food, drink, and other offerings that deceased relatives enjoyed during their lifetime. This requires understanding the desires and preferences of other minds including those only representational or symbolic in nature. This study hypothesized that children with greater ToM ability would be better able to engage in a simulated gift giving task where the object was to give a pretend spirit its preferred gifts. Interviews with pairs of Tzotzil Maya children and their mothers were conducted in Navenchauc, Mexico. Interviews with mothers assessed what they believed their children knew about the holiday and its traditions. Interviews with children assessed their knowledge of Day of the Dead traditions and their performance on ToM tasks. Analysis examined the relationship between children’s competency with a simulated Day of the Dead gift giving task and their ToM ability in addition to the relationship between ToM and other cultural variables. Children who performed better in a classic ToM task were found to be more likely to give the spirit its preferred gifts.
dcterms.extent114 pages
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.publisherUniversity of Hawai'i at Manoa
dcterms.rightsAll UHM dissertations and theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission from the copyright owner.
dcterms.typeText
local.identifier.alturihttp://dissertations.umi.com/hawii:12354

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