12 SOCIAL COGNITION DEVELOPMENT

Question 1

Why is social cognition important

Answer 1

• social relationships are hugely influential

- social relationships

Question 2

basic social cognitive concepts

Answer 2

• basic understanding of others

- basic understanding of the self

Question 3

how can we identify a basic understanding of others early in development

Answer 3

• early social interactions: still face, early conversations, joint attention
• description of others

Question 4

still face …what is this task and what are the results

Answer 4

• mom interacts with baby
• mom puts on a still face (emotionless )
• observe how baby reacts

-baby cries when he does not received the same reaction

Question 5

joint attention

Answer 5

-child, toy, and caregiver

Question 6

how do description of others change with development

Answer 6

• early childhood: observable, tangible, concrete features (long hair, neat toy)
• later childhood: abstract, internal, enduring traits, social context (nice, funny, cares about other people )

Question 7

self concept

Answer 7

how one defines themselves

Question 8

components of self concept

Answer 8

1. how I see myself

2. how others see me

Question 9

how can we identify a basic understanding of the self early in development

Answer 9

• rouge test

- descriptions of oneself

Question 10

rouge test …what is it and results

Answer 10

• Gold standard test for acquisition of self concept

- 12-month-olds fail (touch the mirror), whereas 15- to 18-month-olds begin to pass (touch the dot on themselves)

Question 11

how do descriptions of the self change with development

Answer 11

• toddler: demographics appearance (age, sex)
• preschool: concrete, observable features, activities, possessions (I have a dog)
• middle childhood: comparing to others (I’m smarter than Sarah)
• late childhood and up: enduring disposition and social relationships (I’m an environmental activist)

Question 12

What is ToM

Answer 12

• a key social concept
• a concept of the mind and mental states

-the ability to understand that our own and others’ behavior is governed by internal mental states

Question 13

ToM illustrated in Friends episode

Answer 13

• Interpreting emotions from facial expressions
• Interpreting desires from actions and emotions

-Interpreting and predicting actions from inferred knowledge/belief states

• deception
• cooperation
• empathy

Question 14

Heider and Himmel task

Answer 14

• triangles

- allows us to organize and make sense of actions and interactions

Question 15

why is ToM important

Answer 15

• allows us to make sense of our social world
• allows us to predict and explain behavior
• underlines complex social behaviors and interactions (pro sociality, empathy, cooperation, deception, relationship formation )

-helps understanding some disorders in which ToM is impaired

Question 16

how do we test ToM in children

Answer 16

false belief task

Question 17

false-belief task 2 common variations

Answer 17

• location change

- deceptive contents

Question 18

what specific aspects of mental state understanding is ToM testing

Answer 18

• mental states are person specific, distinct from reality

- mental states guide action

Question 19

Why is it the gold standard test of a fully fledged ToM

Answer 19

is person specific, and reality distinct

Question 20

what is the developmental trajectory of ToM

Answer 20

• Most 5 yr olds on average pass
• 4 yr old= some pass, some fail
• 3 yr old= consistently fail
• across variations in tasks, and cultures/countries

Question 21

bellman, cross and Watson

Answer 21

• Researchers asked if this was the overall pattern, 3 yr old fails, 5 yr old passes depending on : task, question, participant involvement, culture
• results: Across 591 studies, 3 yr olds fail, 5 yr olds pass, 4 yr olds are in between

Question 22

diverse desires

Answer 22

• pass btw 2-3
• desire shows up before belief reasoning
• Ask kid which snack they liked, then introduce them to a character that likes the opposite snack
• Ask kid which snack will the character pick

Question 23

diverse beliefs

Answer 23

-pass btwn 3-4
-Show kid that the cat in in the tree, but that Elmo thinks the cat is in the shed
-Ask where Elmo will look
-

Question 24

knowledge access

Answer 24

• pass btw 3.5-4.5 years
• participant finds out there’s a pineapple in the box
• does Garfield know what’s in the box?

-Understanding that people think differently is passed earlier than reality-distinct tasks

Question 25

what forces (nature/nurture) influence ToM development

Answer 25

• experience with others
• exposure to language
• domain-general memory and inhibitory control
• brain maturation

Question 26

experience with others supporting evidence

Answer 26

○ Children with more siblings perform better on ToM tasks

○ Children who engage in pretend/fantasy play perform better on ToM tasks

Question 27

exposure to language supporting evidence

Answer 27

○ Children with more advanced language skills perform better on ToM tasks

-Deaf children born to non-signing families (who thus get degraded language exposure) demonstrate delayed/impaired ToM performance

Question 28

domain-general memory and inhibitory control supporting evidence

Answer 28

○ Deaf children born to non-signing families (who thus get degraded language exposure) demonstrate delayed/impaired ToM performance

-When inhibition/memory demands are reduced, children perform better

Question 29

brain maturation supporting evidence

Answer 29

• 3 yr olds fail

- 5 yr olds pass

Question 30

do infants hav a ToM

Answer 30

-yes infants understand basic intentions, goals, and desires

Question 31

do infants understand false beliefs

Answer 31

-Onishi article

Question 32

does ToM continue to develop beyond False belief at age 5

Answer 32

-yes older children and adults continue to refine mental stat concepts

• emotions based on beliefs
• mental state reasoning across past/future events