Social Understanding Flashcards
(22 cards)
When does ToM likely begin?
18 - 24 months when children recognise themselves in mirror (understanding “self” and “other” mental states)
What is a Theory of Mind (ToM)?
ability to attribute beliefs, desires, intentions & emotions to the self and others to explain and predict behaviour
theory - why? unable to directly observe mental states, can only predict (you can only make theories of people’s state of mind)
When do babies begin social referencing?
Around 1 year old.
They use emotional signals of others to guide action
- however, dk if they understand these signals indicate fear, or they just know that this face = no
What are the two types of pointing for attention?
Proto-imperative:
- point to get mother to pick up object (give that to me)
Proto-declarative:
- point with no desire for object (look at that)
When does empathy onset for children?
Possibly 18 - 24 months.
- adults & toddlers shown 4 videos
- toddlers have similar reactions to infant crying and white noise; could indicate reaction to aversive stimuli rather than empathy
Onset is likely gradual and not manifested all the time
Can children understand intention?
Yes. After habituating children to picking up keys, experimenter changes position of objects.
When reaching for the same side, but a diff object, children dishabituate.
When reaching for the same object on a diff side, children dishabituate less.
Hence, babies understand the experimenter’s goal: to get the keys, not reach for the same space.
How do cows respond to human behaviour?
When cows receive +ve attitude and frequent benign contact from humans, they respond diff than if neither were present.
Strokes on neck > strokes on chest; cows show less avoidance and more approach behaviours
What are two main mental states?
Desires and beliefs.
When do children begin to understand desires?
About 2 - 3 years.
What are the two desire- links?
1) Desire-emotion link:
- Person #1: wants rabbit –> gets rabbit –> feelings?
- Person #2: wants dog –> gets rabbit –> feelings?
- older 2 y/os recognise Person #1 is happier
2) Desire-action link:
- Sam wants to take rabbit to school; could be under porch or in garage
a) finds it –> school or continue search?
b) doesn’t find it –> school or continue search?
- older 2 y/os recognise desire shapes action
Why do we study false rather than true belief?
To determine whether children have ToM; understanding that other people’s mental states differ from their own.
What is the problem with Onishi & Baillargeon’s (2005) study?
Whilst they found that children may understand false belief as they stare longer when agent searches in the wrong box, results could not be replicated.
When do children understand the two main mental states?
2 - 3 years: people act according to desires
By 4 years: understand people act according to beliefs
How do children respond to false belief tasks?
They are least able to determine:
1) where the model will say the item is
2) what the model will say is inside the box vs where the box is
3) what they personally think was inside the box before it was opened
How do we utilise our ToM to lie?
It helps us differentiate between what we know and what the other person knows.
When do children lie?
From as young as 2 years old, but more after 4 years/
How does false belief develop across cultures (Liu et al., 2008)?
Low scores in Japan and Hong Kong vs USA, Mainland China and Canada.
Influenced by how parents talk to kids (language)
What do Avis & Harris (1991) reveal about how cultures influence false belief?
Baka tribe in Africa: unexpected transfer test
- Under 5 years failed, over 5 passed
- roughly same age of development
What is a downside to children having better ToM (past typical development)?
More sensitive to teacher criticism
What are the 5 stages through which children’s ToM are developed?
1) Witness repeated behaviours that bring about outcomes –> more repeated behaviours correlate with better acquisition of mental state vocab
2) Mother talks about mental states
3) Mirror self-recognition (big gain in ToM after passing this when mothers talk about story characters’ desires); understand that mother refers to character, not themselves
4) Vocab and language acquisition: better language understanding –> learn new words about mental states as they can infer what it means
5) Mother using single mental state word to describe diff behaviours: “want” referring to 1) either reaching for object or crying, or 2) reach for object and crying
- children understand that “want” can refer to both behaviour and mental state
Can children have implicit insight before 4 years old?
Yes: unaware of knowledge possession, but behaviour affected.
anticipatory eye gaze: look to correct location, but gives wrong answer verbally
- children as young as 2 years and 11 months do this
