social cognition 2: Theory of Mind Flashcards
What is Theory of Mind (ToM)
Premack & Woodruff (1978): Theory of Mind is the ability to attribute mental states—such as beliefs, desires, intentions, and emotions—to oneself and others, recognizing that these states may differ between people.
what age do children begin to show aspects of ToM?
as early as 7–9 months (Baron-Cohen, 1991) while 18‐month‐old toddlers, as demonstrated by Meltzoff (1988), begin to understand and copy adult intentions. Full ToM abilities are typically evident by the age of 3–4 years.
What does intentional reasoning in toddlers involve?
understanding that behavior is driven by intentions. For example, toddlers may predict actions (like expecting someone in a green coat to take their dog for a walk) and imitate adults to capture the intended outcome of an action.
What are false belief tasks and what do they assess?
designed to test whether children recognize that others can hold beliefs that are not true. A classic example is the Maxi chocolate task, where younger children (around 3 years) wrongly choose a new location for the chocolate, whereas older children (around 4 years) correctly recall its original location. (Wimmer & Perner, 1983)
What is the Sally-Anne Task and how does it work?
children to predict where a character (Sally) will look for a hidden object based on her false belief. Baron-Cohen et al. (1985) found, 85% of neurotypical children and children with Down syndrome answered correctly, compared to only 20% of children with autism, indicating a specific ToM impairment in autism.
How do the findings from the Sally-Anne Task contribute to our understanding of autism?
many individuals with autism struggle with attributing false beliefs, which may underlie their difficulties with social interaction and communication, thereby providing a potential explanation for the social challenges seen in autism.
What is the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task and what does it reveal?
asks participants to infer emotions from just the eye region of faces. Baron-Cohen et al. (1997) found that adults on the autism spectrum had a lower mean score (16.3 out of 25) compared to neurotypical participants (20.3 out of 25), highlighting subtle deficits in social cognition.
What strengths does ToM research offer in understanding social cognition and autism?
its ability to explain social communication difficulties by linking impaired mental state attribution to real-world challenges. Additionally, ToM research provides evidence of a developmental progression linked to biological maturation.
What are the limitations of using ToM as an explanation for autism?
an overreliance on false belief tasks—which may also tap memory and other cognitive skills—and the fact that not all autistic individuals display ToM impairments. Furthermore, observed correlations do not necessarily indicate causation.
How does the debate between innate and social-interactionist perspectives relate to ToM development?
Evidence from studies (e.g. Perner et al., Piaget, Liu et al.) suggests that ToM development is closely linked to biological maturation, indicating an innate basis. Conversely, social-interactionist views (e.g. Astington) argue that interpersonal experiences are essential in shaping ToM abilities.
What are Selman’s levels of perspective-taking and how do they connect to ToM?
Selman’s theory describes a developmental progression from an egocentric perspective to increasingly complex stages—social informational, self-reflective, mutual/third-party, and societal role-taking.
This mirrors the developmental trajectory of ToM as children move from a self-focused view to understanding multiple perspectives.
What practical applications of ToM research are mentioned?
the assessment of autism, guiding family therapy and mediation by improving understanding of social interactions, and informing policies related to social responsibility and communication.
How might compensatory strategies affect performance on ToM assessments in autism?
Some high-functioning individuals with autism may employ compensatory strategies to pass tasks like the Sally-Anne Task. However, more nuanced tests such as the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task can still reveal underlying impairments in social cognition.
How could ToM research be improved according to the document?
Using alternative assessments that more directly isolate ToM processes, minimizing confounding factors such as memory and additional cognitive demands.
Biological Maturation
The idea that ToM develops in tandem with natural brain and cognitive growth. Evidence includes observations that children typically pass false belief tasks around age 3–4, suggesting ToM emerges alongside neural development.
