Theory of Mind

Question 1

ToM

Answer 1

rapid, spontaneous and easy pattern of though

figuring out what someone is trying or intending to do, what they want and are thinking about

Question 2

ToM requirements

Answer 2

view others as intentional agents - do things to achieve goals

be able to take another persons perspective - understanding their desires, beliefs and thoughts

Question 3

others beliefs could be

Answer 3

different to our own

false (can be wrong)

Question 4

how is ToM measured

Answer 4

Sally-Anne false belief task (Frith et al, 2003)

Sally puts marble into a basket
then leaves
Anne moves marble into a box
Sally returns: where will she look for the marble?

4 yo - say basket
3 yo say box

Perner, Leekman and Wimmer - smarties tube

Question 5

surprise

Answer 5

ToM after 4 - children able to attribute emotion to people

Question 6

deception

Answer 6

age 5

Peskin (1992) - nasty puppet paradigm that steals their favourite stickers
3 yo - lost all stickers
4 yo - eventually started deceiving
5 yo - deceive from the off

Ding et al (2015) - ToM related to the ability to lie
when trained in ToM - more likely to lie

Question 7

understanding others as intentional agents

Answer 7

Woodward (1998) - infants understand others as intentional agents (6 months - surprise is shown)

sticky mitten intervention - highlights intentions - after this they are more surprised when people act against their goals

Question 8

understanding mental states

Answer 8

3 yo - understanding contrasting mental states - use words involving cognitive states (think, know)

thoughts can be different from state of reality

Question 9

understand others have desires

Answer 9

Repacholi and Gopnik (1997)
experimenter tried bowl of crackers and broccoli with exaggerated facial expressions then asks for more

18 months - pass food experimenter desires
14 months - pass their favourite

Question 10

incomplete beliefs

Answer 10

age 3

children understand that peoples thoughts and beliefs motivate behaviour
Wellman (1990) - character thinks books are just on the shelf but they’re on a box too
children (age 3) - can predict that they will just look on the shelf

Question 11

false beliefs

Answer 11

Onishi and Baillargeon (2005) - 15 months

infants watch experimenter looking in a box
eyes of experimenter are either covered or not
infants look longer when the experimenter looks in the right place after having their eyes covered

Question 12

Theory-Theory

Answer 12

implicit ToM - innate and appears early
explicit ToM - learned more slowly with awareness

Wellman (1990)
ToM begins age 2 - think peoples desires are the basis for their behaviour
3 years - have a theory based on desires
4 years - beliefs are interpretations and may be inaccurate
ToM gets fine tuned with experience

Question 13

Metarepresentation theory

Answer 13

Perner (1991)
preschoolers struggle with ToM as they can’t hold 2 representations in their head at once
4 years - develop metarepresentations and ToM develops

Question 14

Executive function accounts

Answer 14

Carlson and Moses (2001)
failure of ToM in preschoolers may come from poor executive (cognitive) function
as this develops, so does ToM

Question 15

autism and ToM

Answer 15

Baron Cohen et al
20% of ASD children pass Sally-Anne task
80% of normal developing children pass
(mental age of 4)