Theory of Mind

What is Theory of Mind?

cognitive ability to think about other’s mental states
understanding other people’s beliefs and intentions

Why is ToM important?

crucial for social communication to infer what others are thinking

When does ToM develop?

from early age that becomes more sophisticated as we biologically mature
possibly innate

What is the intentional reasoning task?

Meltzoff (1988)
18 month olds
watched to see if kids would copy what adults intended to do or copied actual actions

Meltzoff (1988) - METHOD

experimental condition - toddlers watched adult go to put beads in jar but dropped them
control - adults placed beads in jar successfully

Meltzoff (1988) - FINDINGS

experimental condition put beads in jar successfully and dropped no more than control

What is autism?

first identified by Leo Kanner 1943
called ASD - autistic spectrum disorder

What does ASD involve?

difficulties with social interaction
repetitive patterns of behaviour
present since early childhood

How do difficulties in ToM link to autism?

Baron-Cohen found difficulties with social communication caused by deficits in ToM
others can be unpredictable for those with ASD
problems with ToM can cause ASD to take things literally

What study supports deficits in ToM with autism?

Baron-Cohen (1985)
Sally and Anne study

What is the method of the Sally and Anne study?

2 dolls
Sally puts ball in basket then leaves
Anne moves ball to her box
Sally comes back - where should she look?

What were the participants in Sally+Anne study?

1 - 20 high functioning autistic kids, avg age 12
2 - 14 down syndrome kids, avg age 11
3 - 27 neurotypical kids, avg age 4

What would kids with ToM suggest in the Sally+Anne study?

suggest Sally look in her basket as she doesn’t know Anne moved the ball

What were the findings of the Sally+Anne study for each group?

1 - 2-% correct
2 - 86% correct
3 - 85% correct

AO3 - difficulty in task

task gives kids a lot to remember
may not be linked to ToM but testing quality of kid’s memory

AO3 - validity of deficits in ToM and autism supported by empirical evidence

Baron-Cohen developed Eyes Task
involved having to judge emotions of someone from their eyes
found ASD adults struggled

AO3 - reductionist

tries to explain complex spectrum at level of problems with social cognitive function

AO3 - practical implications

develop interventions to help improve understanding of facial expressions
Baron-Cohen cartoon series ‘The Transporters’

AO3 - counter argument to Sally and Anne study

20% of kids with ASD completed task, suggests they have ToM
it may be that some can learn to pass ToM tests by treating them as logical problems to solve