Theory of Mind

Practice questions covering the definition, developmental milestones, social influences, and measurement of Theory of Mind, as well as the details of the Assessment Literacy Module.

What is the definition of Theory of Mind (ToM)?

The attribution of mental states to oneself and to others, and understanding how these mental states influence behaviour.

According to Slaughter (2015), why is Theory of Mind considered a fundamental skill?

It helps us to understand and get along with other people by keeping track of what others feel, want, and believe during social interactions.

List some social experiences associated with Theory of Mind.

• communication

• pretend play

• empathy

What are the three developmental domains that Theory of Mind develops alongside?

cognitive development, social development ,and biological development

At what age does the development of 'intention' (the desire to act a certain way) typically emerge?

$9$ months.

According to the developmental timeline, when do children typically show an understanding of false beliefs?

$4$ years.

What is the typical age for the emergence of 'Second order Theory of Mind'?

$6$ years.

According to Devine & Hughes (2016), how does false belief understanding typically differ between 3-year-olds and 5-year-olds?

Most $3$ year olds show no evidence of false belief understanding, whereas most $5$ year olds show evidence of false belief understanding.

How do social contexts like sibling constellations influence Theory of Mind development?

They provide opportunities to witness separate mental states through role models, conflict, and play.

What were the findings of the McAlister & Peterson ($2013$) study regarding sibling count and ToM scores?

Children with siblings have higher ToM scores than those without, and the score increases with the number of siblings (3 > 2 > 1 > 0 siblings).

Define 'false belief tasks' in the context of measuring Theory of Mind.

Tasks that test a child’s understanding that other people will act according to their own beliefs, even when the child knows those beliefs are incorrect.

What are two specific examples of false belief tasks mentioned in the lecture?

The Sally and Anne Task and the Smarties task (or M&M task).

According to Devine & Hughes ($2016$), what was the correlation between the number of siblings and the number of children passing FB tasks?

$r = .16$.

Which statistical test is used to explore the relationship between categorical variables like age group and false-belief understanding?

A Chi-square test of independence.