Theory of Mind

Question 1

Social cognition is…..?

Answer 1

encoding
storage
retrieval
processing of info in the brain which RELATES to conspecifics

CONSPECIFIC

Question 2

CONSPECIFIC

Answer 2

belonging to the same species ( animal or plant)

“the rabbit was isolated from male conspecifics”

Question 3

social cognition is also ….

Answer 3

Intuition and assumption about a social situation.

Question 4

Availability Hueristic

Answer 4

the human response that …

“If something can be recalled, it must be important”

e.g. the letter K - more times as the first letter or the third?

Question 5

MELTZOFF and MOORE

Answer 5

1977 babies imitate facial expressions found that 12 to 21 DAY old babies Imitate facial and manual expressions. Piaget had thought facial imitation happened at 8 to 12 months.

Question 6

1977 babies imitate facial expressions

Answer 6

MELTZOFF and MOORE

Question 7

TRONICK et al

Answer 7

1975 - still face experiment - babies get upset when their mother puts on a still face.

Question 8

1975 - still face experiment - babies get upset when their mother puts on a still face.

Answer 8

TRONICK et al

Question 9

GIBSON + SORCE 1985

Answer 9

Social referencing using the visual cliff.
“how do we learn fear?”

babies are invited by a “scared” and a “Happy” mother to crawl across a glass screen over the VISUAL CLIFF.

babies don’t crawl for the scared mother but do crawl for the happy mother.

Babies look to their mothers for advice about situations. - social cue.

Question 10

Social referencing using the visual cliff.

Answer 10

GIBSON + SORCE 1985

Question 11

SCAIFE + BRUNER

Answer 11

1975 Joint attention - v important for development of social cognition.

most 8 to 10 month olds can “follow line of regard” and all 11 to 14 month olds can.

Identifying INTENTION

v important in language development

Question 12

Joint attention

Answer 12

SCAIFE + BRUNER

Question 13

Meta-representation

Answer 13

The ability to pretend and to understand pretence in others

generally developed during the second year of human life , perhaps earlier - earlier development of meta-representation skills has been linked to better peer relations and being more creative in later life.

Question 14

The ability to pretend and to understand pretence in others

Answer 14

Meta-representation

Question 15

Why is social cognition important.

Answer 15

Perspective taking
Empathy
Peer acceptance

Moral behaviour

Language + Communication
=====Decision Making

PEPa MLD

Question 16

PEPa ML+c = D

Pepper Milked

Answer 16

Importance of social cognition.

Perspective taking
Empathy
Peer acceptance

Moral behaviour

Language + Communication
=====Decision Making

Question 17

Second Order Theory of Mind

Answer 17

person A understands that

Person B can have a theory about

person C

Question 18

WIMMER + PERNER

Answer 18

1983 - Maxi and the Chocolate

adult tells child ;

Maxi puts chic in blue cupboard, mother moves it to the green cupboard when maxi is NOT looking. Maxi comes back so where will he look ?

children Under the age of 4 tend to think in the green cupboard

by the age of five they understand its in the blue cupboard.

Question 19

Maxi and the Chocolate

Answer 19

WIMMER + PERNER 1983

Question 20

Appearance-Reality Tasks

Answer 20

eg. box of smarties is actuallyfull of crayons

show this to a child and ask what ANOTHER child would think were in the box.

Children around the age of 4 start to get the right answer.

Question 21

BARON-COHEN et al 1985

Answer 21

Sally Anne task v similar to the Maxi task.

Crucial point discovered there; the wording of the question to

“Where is the first place sally will look”

this makes the younger , under 4 kids far more likely to get it right.

shows that subtle changes to experiments can get v different results.

also children have varying levels of verbal understanding.

Question 22

sally anne task , designed to make it easier , showed that children have varying levels of understanding - we have to be skeptical about results.

Answer 22

BARON-COHEN et al 1985

Question 23

Second Order Theory of Mind = researcher????

Answer 23

SULLIVAN et al (1994)

Question 24

Three ways we understand Others Minds….

Answer 24

Theory of Mind - Comes from an ability to Meta-Represent the environment.

Simulation Theory - We simulate the situation in our own minds and decide how WE should react = = “what we ve seen our selves do in the past”

Mirror Neurons - Certain Neurons fire when an animal experiences AND Witnesses an activity.

Question 25

Autism Spectrum Conditions means problems with …..

Answer 25

Communication
soCial functioning
Central Coherence
Change
Obsessive interest 
also Deficits in Theory of mind.

Question 26

Baron-Cohen 2003 stated that

Answer 26

autistic people understand Theory of mind using SYSTEMS rather than empathy.