Cognition and development - Theory of mind & the Sally-Anne study Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the theory of mind?

A
  • Most people have an innate theory of mind mechanism
  • This is a cognitive process that helps us understand that other people have an internal mental state such as emotions and intentions that inform behaviour
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2
Q

What is the theory of mind explanation for autism?

A
  • The theory of mind explanation for autism suggests that people with autism suffer from “Mindblindness”
  • This is a defective/lack of an innate theory of mind mechanism
  • This, therefore explains why autistic people struggle to appreciate the emotional perspective or intentions of others
  • This is similar to egocentrism as identified by Piaget
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3
Q

What is the Sally-Anne study?

A
  • Baron-Cohen conducted research with 20 autistic children, 14 with downs syndrome and 27 typical functioning children (Neurotypicals)
  • Children were shown two dolls “Sally” and “Anne”
  • Sally places a marble in a basket and leaves, Anne then moves the marble to a box
  • Children were then asked:
  • Where is the marble really? (Q1)
  • Where was the marble in the beginning? (Q2)
  • Where will sally look for the marble? (Q3)
  • All children passed Q1 and Q2, however only 20% of children with autism could answer the belief question correctly, compared to the 85% of neurotypicals and 86% of children with downs syndrome
  • This shows that wrong answers could be due to a lack of theory of mind and not simply due to intellectual delay
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4
Q

What is a strength of the theory of mind?

A
  • Wilmer and Perner were the first to use the false belief task to test theory of mind
  • Maxi left his chocolate in a blue cupboard in the kitchen, then played outside
  • Maxi’s mother used some chocolate and left the rest in a green cupboard
  • Children were asked where Maxi will look, none of the 3-4 year olds, 57% of 4-6 year olds and 86% of the 6-9 year old children pointed correctly to the green cupboard, suggesting that theory of mind develops between 4-6 years old for most children
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5
Q

What is a strength of the theory of mind?

A

-Theory of mind is helpful in understanding the features of autism, and ultimately it helps to develop coping mechanisms for people with autism and the people who support them

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6
Q

What is a weakness of theory of mind?

A
  • Children who perform poorly on the false belief tasks like the Sally-Anne study, still enjoy role play based play, this type of play still requires theory of mind
  • This suggests that it is the complexity of the tasks that lead to poor performance, not lacking a theory of mind
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7
Q

What is a weakness of theory of mind?

A

-Theory of mind as an explanation for autism can explain deficits, but not the special abilities shown by autistic savants

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