Understanding Own And Others Mind Flashcards
When does self awareness develop and give two test that show this
9-24 months
rouge test (Lewis + Brooks - Gunn, 1979) red mark on face, 15-17 months start to realise it’s them
More modern test: shopping trolly , 18 months have this self awareness
What does wellman 1990 say about ToM
Process by which we can predict behaviour of others based on what we understand their desires and beliefs to be even if they are inaccurate.
When does ToM develop
Depends on type of task and language used but typically 3-4 years
How can we test ToM
False beliefs task : sally-Anne and smarties task
Deception game (more recent)
Who did the sally anne and smarties test
Sally Anne: Baron-cohen, lesile and frith 1985
Smarties : Wilmer and perner 1983
What factors affect ToM
Language, cognitive abilities, make believe play and social interaction
How does language effect ToM
Got to understand words about emotions and desire to have ToM
Adrian et al (2007) : mothers use of cognitive state Verbs correlated to better on ToM task
How does cognitive abilities effect ToM
Need it to understand reality and truth
Flavell et al (2000) think of nothing : not until 8 they realise you can’t think of nothing
Meta cognition (self cognition) and cognitive inhibition ( intrusive thoughts)
How does make belief play effect ToM
18-24 months, Harris (1989) aware of own mental state ; imagination
Social interaction effect on ToM
Family and parenting
Ruffman et al ( 1998) : preschoolers with siblings pass task quicker
What does Simon baton - cohen suggest ToM comes from
1995 - product of human evolution ( nativist theory )
We have a shared attention mechanism
What are some issues with testing ToM
Way task is worded can effect child’s understanding and therefore results
Bloom and German (2000) : more to passing the task than ToM- attention and memory
Newton and Mila (2007) : ToM adults bleep distracts them from simple task
Why is ToM beneficial
Helps child to predict others intentions, lie, understand death , make friends, develop sense of self
Why might someone have a missing or delayed ToM
Autistic , deaf child , severely blind
