Lecture 4- Theory of Mind Flashcards
what is theory of mind
the capacity we have to predict and explain other peoples behaviours in terms of their internal states of mind
e.g. if you desire something, you look for it in a place where your beliefs make you think but if you do not find it, your reaction may be of surprise
origins of ToM-premack + woodruff 1978
2 examples
1- food is hanging off a branch at a height that cannot be reached by stretching
in the cage there are several objects, one is a stool which can be used to reach the food
2- a human tries to get out of a locked cage, the key is outside the cage that cannot be reached
in the cage there are several objects, one is a wooden stick which can be used to reach the key
there is understanding of the human’s needs and beliefs- they have ToM
critical question
how do we know people are understanding the needs and beliefs of others rather than just coming up with a solution
what would be an appropriate test to assess an understanding of other people’s mental states?
the child is required to attribute a belief to another person which is different to their own.
the participant cannot predict the correct response on the basis of what they know to be true
if the child can predict what another person will do on the basis of a false belief, we know that they are not just reading the answer from scenario
false belief task
sally ann
wimmer+perner 1983
baren-cohen, leslie+frith 1985
sally puts marble in basket, goes outside to play, ann moves marble to box, sally comes back
then the child is asked “where does sally think the marble is?”
sally has false belief about the location because she has not seen ann move it- their answer should be basket
the child has to ignore what they know
false belief task
sally ann
results
4-4.5 years of age, children give the correct answer and hence have ToM
2 years old answer where the marble is and hence do not have ToM
false belief task
sally ann
modification
4 years old control question
asked why does sally think the object is in here?
because sally hasn’t seen it move
gives correct answer for correct reason
false belief task
sally ann
modification
siegal +beattie 1991
modified by asking the child “where will sally look first of all” instead on “where will sally look for her marble”
the control group will be asked the same original question
39% of 3yr olds passed original whereas 70+% passed modified
false belief task
appearance reality task
a child is shown an object and is asked “what does it look like”
3yr old= a stone
the child is given the opportunity to play with the object + to verify it is soft and light
they are then asked “so, what is it really”
3 yr old= its a sponge
the child is then asked “what does it look like”
3 yr old= a sponge; should answer a stone
false belief task
appearance reality task
conclusion
3yr olds are unable to capture the difference between appearance and reality
they are unable to attribute a thought about the object independent of what the object is
false belief task
deceptive box task
a child is show a box of smarties and is asked “what is in the box”
3 yr old=smarties
the experimenter opens the box and shows the child there is a pencil inside, the child is then asked “what is in the box”
3 yr old=pencil
the child is then asked “ what do you think another child would think is in the box?2
3 yr old=pencil; another child will think a pencil is in the box
false belief task
deceptive box task
conclusion
3yr olds are unable to capture the difference between appearance and reality
false belief task
deceptive box task
modification
mitchell+locohee 1991
boosted the idea of smarties being in the box by getting children to post a picture of a smarties box
20% of children passed original
60% passed modification
Leslie 1987/1988
suggested
that as beliefs are represented in the mind, we can understand that something represent others and hence believe some things can misrepresent others
false photograph task
zaitchik 1990
involves representation but not mental states
the child is shown how a polaroid camera works and takes a picture of a cat sitting on a chair.
the researcher moves the cat to the bed and the child gets asked “where is the cat in the picture?”
3 yr olds fail=say bed
false photograph task
zaitchik 1990
conclusion
infants develop the concept of representation between 4-5 yrs old
before this they are unable to understand that beliefs can go out of date
pretend play
leslie 1987+1988
by 18-24 months babies engage in pretend play, they have the ability to form a representation in their minds that is independent of reality
they can also attribute this to another person
e.g pretend a banana is a phone
alternative views
bloom and german 2000
young children do understand false belief tasks but cannot demonstrate that they do which means they make mistakes
onishi+ baillargeon 2005
children do understand false beliefs using VoE paradigm
children appeal to mental states-goals, perceptions and beliefs to explain behaviours
watermelon
familiarisation
an actor plays with a watermelon and hides it in the green box, after a short delay, she looks for the watermelon in the green box
onishi+ baillargeon 2005
children do understand false beliefs using VoE paradigm
children appeal to mental states-goals, perceptions and beliefs to explain behaviours
watermelon
belief induction task
the infant witnesses a chance that results in the actor holding a true or false belief about the toys location
onishi+ baillargeon 2005
children do understand false beliefs using VoE paradigm
children appeal to mental states-goals, perceptions and beliefs to explain behaviours
watermelon
4 versions
TB green condition: the actor and infant watch as the blue box moved halfway towards the green and moved back, the toy remained in the green box
TB blue condition: the actor and infant watched the toy move from the green to the blue- actor finds in blue box
FB green condition: only the infant saw the toy move from the green to blue so actor still believes it is in green box- chooses green
FB blue condition: the actor and infant watch the toy move from green to blue but only the infant saw it move back to green- chooses blue
onishi+ baillargeon 2005
children do understand false beliefs using VoE paradigm
children appeal to mental states-goals, perceptions and beliefs to explain behaviours
watermelon
results
infants expect the actor to search on the basis of their belief hence meaning the 15 month old already possess a theory of mind
others act on the basis of their beliefs and these may or may not mirror reality
ToM in autistic children
sally ann task
20 children with autism-only a handful passed
20 children with down syndrome-majority passed
20 typically developing 4 yr olds-majority passed
ToM in autistic children
sally ann task
design issues
participants not well matched on chronological age
participants matched on verbal abilities using a poor assessment tool
