W4 Social Cognition (ToM) Flashcards
What is Theory of Mind (ToM)?
The understanding that people’s actions are
motivated by internal mental states
People have desires, thoughts, emotions and do things because of them.
What precedes ToM?
Imitation
Helps build understanding of others’
actions
Joint Attention
Awareness of the visual experience of
others
Early step towards perspective-taking
Pretend Play
Start taking others’ perspectives
Distinguish between reality and fantasy
Emerges around 1-2 years of age
Emotion understanding
Identifying and understanding causes of basic emotions
Emerges around 2 years of age
What are the 5 steps in the Scale of ToM Development?
Diverse Desires Diverse Beliefs Knowledge Access False Belief Hidden Emotion
What is desire understanding?
The first step is the realization that others have diverse desires, and to get what they want, people act in different ways.
What is Diverse belief understanding?
The second step is the understanding that others also have diverse beliefs about the same thing, and that people’s actions are based on what they think is going to happen.
What is Knowledge Access?
The third stage is recognizing that others have different knowledge access, and if someone hasn’t seen something, they will need extra information to understand.
What is False Belief?
The forth stage is being aware of the fact that others may have false-beliefs that differ from reality.
What is Hidden Emotion?
The final stage is being aware that other people can hide their emotions, and can feel a different emotion from the one they display.
What is Perspective-taking, and what are the 2 types?
It is the ability to take the perspective of others is an important aspect of social cognition.
Visual & Cognitive/emotional
What is Cognitive/Emotional Perspective-taking?
Empathy without vicariously feeling things.
What are some Influences on the Development of ToM?
Nature:
Neurological predisposition
Evolution
Nurture:
Language
Family interactions
