Non-Biological Explanation for Autism (Theory of Mind) Flashcards
What is the non-biological explanation for autism?
Theory of mind
What does the non-biological explanation (theory of mind) say autism is caused by?
Cognitive deficit
According to the non-biological explanation for autism (theory of mind), what can people with autism not do?
Decentre
See the world from other perspectives
When does theory of mind normally develop?
2 to 3 years old but those with autism are impaired/doesn’t fully develop
What is a way to test theory of mind abilities?
Sally-Anne test e.g. where will Sally look for her ball?
What does the non-biological explanation for autism (theory of mind) say children with autism don’t understand?
Facial expressions
Non-verbal communication
Explains socialisation problems
According to the non-biological explanation for autism (theory of mind), what are people with autism?
Systemisers so they use rules to organise internal and external events
What will you assume if you have a lack of theory of mind?
Everyone already knows what you want and how you are feeling, so you communicate less as it is unnecessary in your mind
Why is the non-biological explanation for autism (theory of mind) useful?
Explains traits like social issues
How does the Sally-Anne test support the non-biological explanation for autism (theory of mind)?
Children with autism were unable to predict where Sally would look for the ball based on their own knowledge so they have difficulty seeing the world from different point of views
How does the Baron-Cohen eye test support the non-biological explanation for autism (theory of mind)?
Found children with autism were less able to identify the emotion of others when looking at someone’s eyes so they have difficulty seeing the world from different point of views
Why might the biological explanation for autism (EMB) be a better explanation than the non-biological explanation for autism (ToM)?
Doesn’t explain male to female ratio in autism so may not be as credible as EMB
Why can the cause and effect not be established in the non-biological explanation for autism (theory of mind)?
We don’t know if theory of mind impairments cause autism or whether having autism causes theory of mind
Why is the non-biological explanation for autism (theory of mind) not empirical?
Difficult to test cognitive processes like theory of mind directly so it is less credible as we can’t test and restest to see if it is true
Why is the non-biological explanation for autism (theory of mind) incomplete?
Ignores biological underpinnings so EMB may be a better explanation making ToM less credible
