Isabel Ortiz

Reading comprehension is the product of a complex set of processes and components (i.e., reader’s skills and knowledge). Among them, Theory of Mind (ToM) has recently been pointed out as a capacity that plays a crucial role in comprehending texts. This has been especially highlighted in the case of narrative stories because it requires understanding of emotions, mental states, and perspectives of the characters, which often demands inferring information that is not explicitly stated in the text. In the present chapter, we review some of the most relevant research work that has examined the association between ToM and reading comprehension in both the typical and atypical population. To that end, we first introduce the basic assumptions of some of the more relevant theoretical models of reading comprehension. We then review recent empirical evidence showing that ToM seems to contribute to reading comprehension via listening comprehension, as well as that it is related to low-level linguistic skills, such as vocabulary or grammatical knowledge, and to high-level linguistic skills, such as inference-making or comprehension monitoring. In addition, as we show below, the association between ToM and reading comprehension appears to be stronger in people with autism spectrum disorders and in individuals with deafness or reduced hearing than in their typically developing peers, two atypical populations in which difficulties in ToM are usual. Lastly, we conclude the chapter by outlining the main limitations, research gaps, and future directions in this field.