Early pathways to bullying: A prospective longitudinal study examining the influences of theory of mind and social preference on bullying behaviour during the first 3 years of school

Research has focused on the role of theory of mind (ToM) for positive social behaviour, while the association between ToM and negative social behaviours is less well understood. This longitudinal study compares two mediation models examining the role of ToM and peer‐rated social preference at ages 5 and 6 for bullying at age 7. Participants were 114 children (58 boys, M age = 67 months) at entry to primary school (T1). At Time 2 (T2), 106...