Theory of mind as an explanation for autism

Question 1

Simon Baron-Cohen

Answer 1

He is one of the main reaserachers. His main intrest is in the diffrence between autistic children and non-autistic children

Question 2

What does this theory suggest?

Answer 2

That autism results from a very specific form of impaired cognitive functioning and those with autism lack a coherent theory of mind meaning they stuggle to understandthe mental states of others.

Question 3

Summarise the Sally Anne test.

Answer 3

Children wre shown a story involving 2 characters. Tehy were shown sally putting a marble in her basket and leaving the room. While she was gone they saw Anne moving the marble from the basket and into her box. When Sally came back the children were asked where she would look first for the marble.

Question 4

Research evidience

Answer 4

Baron-Cohen found that when the Sally Anne test was carried out on 20 autistic children, 14 children with Downs syndrome and 27 normall devekloping children. He found all children could answer the reality and memory question correctly whereas the autistic children were less likley to be able to pass the false-belief task only 20% could pass compared to 85% with normally developing children and 86% with children with downs syndrome.

Question 5

First order belief.

Answer 5

A fisrt order belief is the belief that the child attributes to another person. EG- ‘Sally will look for the marble in her basket’

Question 6

Second order beliefs.

Answer 6

Is the realisation that another person can have a belief about a third person. EG- ‘I think Anne thinks Sally will look in her basket’ (Baron-Cohen believes being unable to eastablish second order beliefs are interlinked with autism)

Question 7

Shared attention mechanism

Answer 7

Is the abilitythat we have to work out what others are thinking by looking at what thre looking at. EG - If somoeone is clearly staring at a mars bar they probably want a mars bar over a twix
(Children with autism find this difficult)

Question 8

Mental or physical?

Answer 8

Four year olds usually reaise that words like ‘think’, ‘know’ and ‘dream’ refer to the mind whereas ‘run’, ‘eat’, ‘jump’ and ‘move’ are physical actions. (Children of much older ages with autism will find this difficult)

Question 9

This explanation has practical applications

Answer 9

Improving understanding about the way individulas with autism may experience the world around them and advising friends or family of some limitations and the best ways to interact with them.