Week 6 Flashcards
What is the “Theory of Mind” (ToM)?
A body of knowledge on the ability to understand other’s mental states and use that information to explain/predict human behavior
Describe the “deceptive packaging” false belief test and its results
Researchers show children a container and ask them to predict what is inside; they then reveal an unexpected object inside and ask them to predict what other people would think is inside
* 3-year-olds predict that others would predict what was shown to them to be inside
* 5-year-olds predict that others would predict that the likely object given the packaging would be inside
Describe the “sneaky monkey” false belief test and its results
Researchers ask children what their favorite sticker is then tells them that the monkey will take whichever sticker they like; children can choose what to tell the monkey
* 3-year-olds tell the monkey the truth and end up with the sticker they don’t like as much
* 5-year-olds can deceive the monkey by telling them they like one sticker when they actually like the other, ending up with the sticker they like
Describe the “unexpected transfer” false belief test and its results
Researchers tell children the story about Sally and Anne; Sally puts a marble into her basket then leaves; Anne switches the marble from the basket to the box; Sally comes back; researcher asks where they think Sally will look for her marble
* 3-year-olds believe Sally will look in the box (where the marble actually is)
* 5-year-olds believe Sally will look in the basket (where she put the marble)
According to Onishi & Baillargeon, do 15-month-olds understand ToM better than previously thought? What indicated this conclusion?
Yes, 15-month-olds implicity understand ToM better than previously thought; infants are surprised when one searches for the toy where it was actually moved to (violation of expectation task)
According to Rebecca Saxe, which area of the brain is responsible for thinking about other’s thoughts?
Right Temporoparietal Junction (RTPJ)
How did Rebecca Saxe test that RTPJ is responsible for thinking about other’s thoughts?
Recorded brain activity as participants listened to stories from one of these conditions: Appearance, Bodily sensations, and Thoughts
* Thoughts prompted participants to think about other’s thoughts and showed higher activation of RTPJ than other conditions did
What is separation anxiety?
Distress when caregiver leaves
When does separation anxiety emerge? When does it peak? When does it last until?
- Emerges at around 8 months
- Peaks at around 14 months
- Lasts until about age 2
What is the “Still Face Paradigm?”
Caregiver suddenly adopts neutral facial expressions
How do infants respond to the “Still Face Paradigm?”
- Infants try harder to capture caregiver’s attention
- When caregiver’s expressions remain neutral, infants develop signs of distress
