Week 6 - Social Cognition And Theory Of Mind

Question 1

Findings of Imitation in newborns
[Melzoff and Moore 1997]

Answer 1

• 6 boys and 6 girls , mean age of 19.3m
• Based on capacity to process visual information
• SUGGESTS BORN WITH INNATE COG ABILITIES (not all environment)

Question 2

What are the 4 stages of development of social cognitive and ages they appear?

Answer 2

2m = Social Smile
6-10m = Social Referencing and Understanding Intentions
2yrs = Begin to lie and understand pics represent objects
3yrs = TOM

Question 3

Define Naive Psychology

Answer 3

Generic desire of human nature to explain behaviour

Question 4

3 key constructs of naive psychology

Answer 4

• Beliefs, Desires, Actions
• Invisible, linked in cause-effect relationship

Question 5

Define ToM

Answer 5

• Human mental functioning in terms of beliefs, desires, perceptions, and emotions
• Perspective Taking = capacity to imagine what others are feeling/thinking

Question 6

Explain the Self Recognition Task : Baby in the mirror

Answer 6

• Placed a coloured spot on the baby’s face
• Showed infant image and asked them to clean spot (18m+ cleaned themselves, -18m cleaned the mirror)

Question 7

Explain the false belief task (Smarties Task)

Answer 7

• Tube of smarties and asked what’s in box
• Child replies smarties but experimenter shows pencils in box
• Child answer hasn’t changed

Question 8

Explain EMB

Answer 8

• Disorder of neurological development
• Characterised by difficulties with social relationships, impaired communication, and repetitive behaviour

Question 8

Define the concept of mind blindness

Answer 8

• Leading to difficulty knowing what others think / what social relationships they have
• Mental age of autistic individuals = higher

Question 8

Explain Sally-Anne Task

Answer 8

• 3 groups of children (Typical/Downs Syndrome/ ASD)
• Belief Q = Where does Sally think marble is?
• 85% DS right , 80% ASD wrong

Question 9

[Happe] Autistic False Beliefs Task

Answer 9

• 18/24 ppts could pass 1st/2nd order false beliefs
• Struggled in naturalistic setting
• Opposes ToM

Question 10

ToM in chimpanzees and rats

Answer 10

• Chimpanzees = understood inentions, perceptions and knowledge of others when food hidden (no evidence of false beliefs)
• Primates and rats ToM help them establish bonds