Theory of Mind Flashcards

1
Q

Theory of Mind

A

The ability to interpret, predict, and explain the actions of others based on their internal mental states
- Beliefs, knowledge, desires, pretense

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

False beliefs:

A

beliefs that are outdated/not necessarily correct

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Agent:

A

an entity capable of moving on its own, perceiving the environment around it, and interacting with that environment
Ex: People, Animals, Entities that (appear to) meet these criteria

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Agents vs. Objects

A

Objects behave according to the laws of Newtonian physics

Agents violate some of these laws
Ex: Self-propelled motion
(Move themselves around)
React to internal mental states
(Goal-directed behavior)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Understanding Goals in Infancy

A

Study:
- Babies are habituated to the first image
- 2nd image: hand reaches in the same place, but the goal is different because they are grabbing the bear rather than the ball (Same trajectory, different goal)

Results:
- Infants looked longer at the surprising event
- Infants can keep track of goals!

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

6 month old infants infer goals

A

Study:
- Grasping hand (agent)
- Infants track the goal of hand
- Expect others to reach for what they “want” even in new places

Claw (non-agent)
- Infants track the motion path, not the goal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Understanding Goals: Imitation

A

Study: Do 18-month-olds imitate agents’ goals?
- The actor tries to pull apart the dumbbell, but failing
- The infants were given the dumbbell
- They imitated the goal the adult was trying to do/achieve

Results:
- Toddlers only imitate the person (agent), not the machine
- Imitate the person’s goal, not the motion pattern
- Imitation is based on the “rationality” of the action

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Conflicting Representations: Different Goals/Desires

A

Study + Results:
- 18 month olds understand someone can want something different
Ex: The experimenter either says: “yum broccoli, yucky cracker” or “Ew broccoli, yummy cracker”
- 14 month old always gave cracker
- 18 month old gave what experimenter likes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Conflicting Representations: Pretense

A
  • Children engage in and are entertained by, pretend play
  • Emerges around 18-24 months
  • Requires dissociating reality from an underlying mental state
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Understanding Beliefs - False Belief Task Switched Location

A

Picture of a marble switching location when Sally walks away, where is the marble now?

The majority of 3 year olds fail, but 4 year olds pass

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

False Belief Task: Deceptive Box

A

What if you ask about one’s own beliefs?

Study: Deceptive Box of Smarties
- when you first saw this tube with a Smarties label, what did you think was in here?
Show them that they are wrong, it is a pencil
- Your friend is outside. If I show her this tube, what will she think is in there?
What will they ask the friend?

Results:
Conner (4-year-old) passed, but 3-year-old girl couldn’t separate her individual beliefs from others

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Explaining the Shift in False Belief Performance

A
  • Theory of mind concepts do not change , the ability to express the knowledge changes
  • Change in performance
  • 4 years of age has a conceptual shift
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Development of Inhibitory Processing

A

Study:
-The child has to wait until the bell is rung to get M&M
Older kid waited
Younger kid ate M&M right away

  • Clear developmental trend in inhibitory control
  • Kids get better at inhibitory control as they get older
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Reducing Inhibitory Demands: The ‘Look First’ Procedure

A

Study:
- Where will Sally look FIRST for her marble?

  • Inhibitory demands are reduced when “first” is mentioned
  • Can reduce inhibitory faster by just adding in the word “first”
  • Saying “first” increases initial concentration to be stronger

Results:
- can turn 3-year-olds into 4-year-olds by saying “first”
- 3 year olds pass!

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Reducing Inhibitory Demands: The ‘Posting’ (Mailing) Procedure

A

Study:
- boost strength of original belief

Results:
If salience of original belief is increased, and inhibitory demands are decreased, 3-year-olds will pass
Also can manipulate inhibitory demands and make 4-year-olds into 3-year-olds who don’t pass

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

False Belief in Infancy: Violation of Expectation

A

Study:
- 15 month olds
- Yellow and green boxes with objects inside

Results:
15 month of age babies show some ability to follow demands

17
Q

Belief Understanding in Infancy: Other Findings

A
  • 7 month olds attribute beliefs
  • Use what others can see to interpret action (12.5-month-olds)
  • False beliefs can be corrected by communication (18 month olds)
18
Q

Theory of Mind Autism & Down Syndrome

A
  • Children with autism fail the false belief task
    (Deficit is specific to children with autism (Down Syndrome does not have the same difficulty))
  • Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD; average age = 11 years)
  • Children with Down Syndrome (average age = 10 years)
19
Q

False photograph task - Do children with autism fail the false belief task because they don’t understand mental states

A

Study:
(same structure as the false belief task, but does not involve mental states)
- Show Sally taking a picture of a cat on a bedroom chair
- Take out the photo, put it to the side, move the cat from the chair to the bed
- Ask: in the photograph, where is the cat?

Results:
Children with autism pass the false photograph task, but not the false belief task

20
Q

Children with autism

A
  • Difficulty with reasoning about beliefs (conceptual)
  • Like typically developing 3-year-olds
  • Difficulty with task demands (inhibitory control)
  • Competence vs. performance difficulties in the theory of mind reasoning
21
Q

Everyday Mindreading

A
  • The ability to think about other people’s mental states starts early
    Ex: Reasoning about, and imitating, other
    people’s desires and intentions in infancy
    Pretense
    Belief reasoning in infancy and early childhood
  • False belief tasks as a test of mental state reasoning
    Ex: Competence vs. Performance
  • Children with autism may have particular difficulties reasoning about other people’s mental states
22
Q
A