Theory of Mind (ToM) Flashcards
TOM
PREMACK & WOODRUFF (1978)
- “… an individual has ToM if they impute mental states to themselves and others…”
SIMON BARON-COHEN
- “… quintessential ability that makes us human…”
- purpose VS intention
- doubt/guessing/pretending/liking
WHY ONLY A THEORY?
- mental states aren’t directly observable
- predictions can be made about behaviour
TOM STUDY
PREMACK & WOODRUFF (1978)
- Sarah (14m chimp); shown video of problem ie. human trying to reach banana out of reach
- given 2 solution photos (correct/incorrect) ie. stick
- correct 21/24 trials (88%)
THE HUMAN
- more than instinct; exchange of ideas
- coordinate efforts
- learning from each other
- “meeting of the minds”
PRE-OPERATIONALISM
PIAGET’S PRE-OPERATIONAL STAGE (2-7y)
- advanced problem solving
- egocentrism
- animism
EGOCENTRISM
- tendency to view the world exclusively from one’s own POV
THREE MOUNTAINS - child asked to choose from pictures the view that the doll would see
- 4-5y usually select the view they see themselves
EARLY ATTUNEMENT TO THE MINDS OF OTHERS
- connection is present early; parents sense new-borns desires/needs/feelings/temperament
- rapidly cemented relationship
- joint attention/play/cooperation
- pretend play/fantasy
TOM MEASUREMENT
DENNET (1978)
- “… it’s not enough to predict others’ actions; actions can often be predicted based on the world state…”
- false belief tests/falsification (ie. thinking probably all swans are white until you see a black one and KNOW not all swans are white/Sally and Anne test)
MENTAL SIMULATION
GOPNIK & ASTINGTON (1988)
- stimulating what one might think in order to understand what others think requires reflective access to ones own state of mind
- aka. metacognition
TOM EMERGENCE
EARLY STUDIES
- Chocolate Test (WIMMER & PERNER (1983))
- The Deceptive Box Test (PERNER et al (1987); GOPNIK (1993))
CROSS-CULTURAL EVIDENCE
- Baka children (AVIS & HARRIS (1991))
META-ANALYSIS
- White matter saturation (3-4y) via ToM (WIESMANN et al (2017))
- Falsifiability via age (WELLMANN (2001))
LONGITUDINAL DATA
- Falsifiability increases w/age (AMSTERLAW & WELLMAN (2006))
IS THERE A DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE?
- ToM = 3-5y; question of radical shift
- fits theory concept; some are revolutionary/suddenly impactful ie. Kuhn’s paradigm shift
- 4y = variable performance though binary test makes it seem “step-like”
INFANT FALSIFIABILITY
ONISHI & BAILLARGEON (2005)
- violation of expectation task via hidden watermelon toy; actors had both false/true beliefs about location
- kids obvs weren’t asked; eye-tracking used
- +15m passed
CONTINUITY HYPOTHESIS
SODIAN et al (2020)
- conceptual continuity from implicit/explicit ToM from early years throughout middle childhood
FALSIFIABILITY DISCREPANCY
TOMASELLO
- controversy of when kids understand falsifiability as dif experiments = dif results
- paper integrates theory and data arguing that kids don’t assume others thoughts alone; come to understanding via types of social/communicative interactions w/others requiring them to compare respective perspectives
ROLE OF THE SIBLING
- siblings can be arguably advantage/impediment
+ = more opportunities to get the mind; greater need to understand complex POVs; second order beliefs - = kids learn ToM best via parental explanations; not enough “teaching” in bigger family?
ZAJONC (1983) - singletons = higher IQ than kids w/multiple siblings
- first > second > third
ROLE OF THE SIBLING EXAMPLES
PERNER (1994)
- 3ys w/siblings pass false belief > 3y singletons
JENKINS & ASTINGTON (1996)
- beneficial effect for older siblings only
LEWIS et al (1996)
- cross-cultural w/Greek families; replicated effect
- larger fams more extended so more interactions of adults w/kids; important “teaching”
ROLE OF THE PARENT
DUNN et al (1991)
- 33m infants w/mother interactions; parents give narratives of scenarios; SOME included mental states of characters
- 6m later; children given mental states more likely to pass falsifiability test
- mind-minded parents may explain this (LEWIS et al (1996))
AUTISM
STEPHEN SHORE
- “… if you’ve ever met an individual with autism, you’ve met one individual with autism…”; it’s a huge, unique spectrum; no set rules
- many famous historical figures may have been on the autism spectrum (ie. Einstein, Yeats, Fischer, Newton)
HANS ASPERGER
- “… it seems that for success in science or art, a dash of autism is essential…”
THE PURPOSE OF TOM
- “sensing” how people are feeling to allow us according action
- understanding psychological state causation to grant access to wider conscious experience
