Theory of Mind Flashcards
Premack & Woodruff (1978) say Theory of Mind is
Attributing mental states (thoughts, beliefs, intentions etc) to others
Theory of Mind allows us to
Predict others behaviour
A big part of understanding theory of mind is that
Peoples mental states can be different to our own
Bjorklund (2012)
An ability to make sense of other peoples behaviour requires two things.
- That we view others as ‘intentional agents’
2. An ability to take another person’s perspective
Why is theory of mind important?
Help us understand/explain/predict others behaviour
Who said ToM is important for:
Understanding art/literature Intentional communication Repairing failed communication Teaching others Persuading others
Baron-Cohen (1999)
How is ToM measured in children?
Standard false belief task (e.g. Sally-Anne test)
Sally-Anne test
What must children to do succeed? (2)
Separate their own (true) beliefs from other peoples
Attribute false belief to Sally
Sally-Anne test
Who passes?
4 year olds
Sally-Anne test
Who fails?
3 year olds
Hadwin + Perner, 1991
At age 5, children use false beliefs….
To predict when person is surprised
Hadwin + Perner, 1991
Method
Tommy who loved chocolate study
Experimenter replaced smarties with sweets
Hadwin + Perner, 1991
Both 4 and 5 year olds knew
Tommy would think there would be smarties in the box (false belief)
Hadwin + Perner, 1991
Only 5 year olds…
Said Tommy would be surprised when he opened the box
Wellman et al., 2001
When does ToM first develop?
Age 4 in false belief tasks
Sabbagh et al., 2006
Avis + Harris, 1991
Where else has ToM been found in children?
- Across the globe
- Remote rainforests in Cameroon
Peskin 1992
When does deception emerge?
Age 5
Why does deception emerge at age 5?
Young children do not think they can deprive someone of knowledge + deceive them
Peskin 1992
What did this study aim to measure?
Deception
Peskin 1992
Method
Children picked liked/disliked sticker
Naughty puppet
Asked which sticker they like
Peskin 1992
3 year olds ………. even after ………
Did not deceive
Practice
Peskin 1992
4 year olds…..(2)
- Didn’t spontaneously deceive
2. Did after practice
Peskin 1992
5 year olds…
Deceived
Ding et al., 2015
Theory of mind does seem to be causally related
To the ability to lie
Ding et al., 2015
Participants + Method
3 year olds
Group 1: ToM skills
Group 2: Physical concepts (control)
Ding et al., 2015
Which group was more likely to lie after training?
ToM group
Woodward (1998)
Infants as young as _______ understand people act on their intentions
6 months
“Understanding people act on their intentions”
This is a…
Basic building block of ToM
Woodward (1998)
6 month olds look…
Longer when actor reaches towards different object than before
Woodward (1998)
3 month olds…
No difference in looking between new scene and old scene
Woodward (1998)
Infants as young as 6 months may understand
Others as intentional agents
Leslie, 1987
Understanding mental states
Two year olds understand
Their thoughts can be different from the state of reality