Theory of Mind Flashcards
What is Theory of Mind?
Our ability to ‘mind-read’ or understand what others are thinking or feeling
Who proposed Theory of Mind?
Premack & Woodruff
What 3 methods are used to study Theory of Mind, and at what corresponding ages?
- Intentional Reasoning Tasks at age 18 months
- False Belief Tasks at age 3-4
- The Eyes Test in adolescents and adults
Describe Meltzoof’s Study involving an Intentional Reasoning Task
- The groups of toddlers observed adults placing beads in a jar
- In Condition 1 the adults appeared to struggle with this, dropping some on the floor, whereas in Condition 2 they placed them successfully
- When asked to complete the task themselves, the toddlers successfully did so regardless of what condition they were in, demonstrating their ability to understand adult intentions.
What False Belief Task Study supports Theory of Mind?
- Wimmer & Perner
- 3-4 years old were told a story of a boy named Maxi who left his chocolate in a blue cupboard
- However, when he left his mother moved it into a green cupboard
- They were then asked what cupboard Maxi would look in for his chocolate once returning
- Most 3-year-olds incorrectly stated that he’d look in the green cupboard, whilst most 4-year-olds correctly stated that he’d look in the blue one.
At what age does Theory of Mind appear to undergo a shift and become more sophisticated, and what study supports this?
- Age 4
- Wimmer & Perner’s Study of False Belief Tasks
Describe Baron-Cohen’s Eyes Test
- He assessed Theory of Mind in adults and adolescents by asking them to read complex emotions from photos of just people’s eyes and a small area around it
Who did Baron-Cohen find tended to struggle with the Eyes Test?
People with autism
Describe Baron-Cohen’s Sally-Anne Study
- 20 autistic children, ** 20 non-autistic** children and 20 children with downs syndrome were individually told a story involving two dolls: Sally and Anne
- Sally put a marble in her basket, but, when she wasn’t looking, Anne moved it into her basket
- They were then asked where Sally would look for her marble
What percentage of non-autistic children, including children with downs syndrome, correctly identified where Sally would look in Baron-Cohen’s Sally-Anne Study?
85%
What percentage of autistic children correctly identified where Sally would look in Baron-Cohen’s Sally-Anne Study?
20%
What did Baron-Cohen believe caused autism?
Deficits in Theory of Mind, causing individuals to struggle with social interaction and communication (a common characteristic of autism)
How has the Sally-Anne Study been praised?
- It has been successfully replicated, including with humans instead of dolls
- It utilises control questions, meaning it has built-in validity
- It eliminates intelligence as a confounding variable by also using participants with down syndrome
How has Theory of Mind as an explanation for autism had positive applications?
It has aided understanding and led to positive outcomes, such as the development of cartoons with humans faces on trains and other modes of transport which has been found to aid children with autism in their understanding of human emotions and how they are expressed visually
What meta-analysis supports Theory of Mind?
Sprong et al, who found a stable deficit of theory of mind in people with schizophrenia- a condition characterised by a loss of touch with reality- and who consistently performed poorly on false belief tasks
