theory of mind evaluation Flashcards
the false belief tasks lack validity
False belief tasks lack validity
Bloom and German suggest that the success on a false belief task requires other cognitive abilities apart from the Theory of mind e.g. memory
The Sally Anne story is quite long for a 3 year old to remember
This is problematic as Theory of Mind is dominated by false beliefs research
many of the methods used to study theory of mind could simply be measuring perspective-taking
many of the methods used to study theory of mind could simply be measuring perspective-taking
for example, responses to the Sally Anne task could be explained by the children’s ability to take Sally’s perspective
Theory of Mind, therefore, is hard to distinguish from perspective-taking
This challenges the validity of Theory of Mind research if it is just measuring the ability to view social situations from another person’s point of view
There is no clear understanding of how theory of mind works
There is no clear understanding on how theory of mind works
Perner et al adopt a Piagetian approach and see Theory of Mind as simply developing all cognitive abilities
But Wilde Astignton takes a more Vygotskian approach and suggests that we internalise our Theory of mind during early interactions with adults
If we do not know how Theory of Mind develops, it cannot be used s a casual explanation for ASD
The Eye task lacks validity
The Eye task lacks validity
The experience of looking at a static pair of eyes in isolation is very different from real life where we usually have access to additional information
This questions the theory of Mind research as it suggests the theory is not standing on an acceptable level of empirical-based ideas
It may be that the concepts are difficult o test but, until they are, the theory cannot be regarded as valid