W2L1: Theory of Mind

theory of mind

attribution of mental states to oneself and to other people, understanding how people’s mental states influence behaviour

theory of mind according to Slaughter

throughout our social interactions, we keep track consciously and unconsciously of what others feel, want, believe. This is referred to as using out theory of mind… a fundamental skill that helps us to understand and get along with other people

theory of mind experiences

joint attention, cooperative play, pretend play. deception, communication, role taking, moral reasoning, sarcasm

development of theory of mind

needs 3 domains in the brain to develop

ToM: biological development

maturation of brain systems

ToM: biological development: amygdala

processes emotions and memory (internal states)ToM: biological development

ToM: biological development: temporal parietal lobe

processes internal and external experiences

ToM: cognitive development

integration of various cognitive skills, understanding of world becomes more complex and nuanced as you develop because ToM becomes more complex with age

ToM: social development

shaped by cultural and social experiences, the more one interacts with others, the more one sees different models of mental states, the more a complex understanding of ToM

ToM: early infancy

interest in others - mental state controlling behaviour of who they attend to

ToM: 3 months

joint attention (rudimentary) - showing awareness of someone else’s mental state trying to direct them somewhere

ToM: 8 months

intention (desire to act in a certain way) - awareness that mental state affects behaviour

ToM: 9 months

gesture (communication, pointing), awareness of other people’s messaging to them and how they can control other people’s mental states

ToM: 12 months

understanding others’ desires - awareness of mental states, awareness of what affects mental states but not quite aware that different things affect people in different ways

ToM: 18-24 months

joint attention (refined), imitation, sensitivity to others’ intentions, pretend play

ToM: 4 yrs

understanding of false beliefs (person has belief that about world but everything else in reality contradicts it)

ToM: false belief understanding

children under 4 don’t understand that another person can have false beliefs

ToM: 5 yrs

preliminary interpretative ToM (being able to see story and interpret what is happening for another person in their mind)

ToM: 6 yrs

second order ToM (knowing another person can interpret someone else’s ToM

ToM: 9 yrs

advanced interpretative ToM - preliminary understanding of sarcasm and irony

false belief understanding: development

most 3 year olds show no evidence of false belief understanding, Mose 5 year olds show evidence of false belief understanding

ToM: social development

increasingly complex interactions with others, and understanding of others, increases complexity of ToM

ToM: social development: cultural influences

contexts provide scope for predicting likely mental statesToM: social development

ToM: social development: family relationships

diversity of relationships provide models for diversity of mental states

ToM: social development: sibling constellations

opportunities to witness separate mental states (role models, conflict, play)

ToM: false belief tasks

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