theory of mind explanation Flashcards
(12 cards)
whos theory is it?
simon baron-cohen
when do children develop the idea that others have minds?
at 3, typically developing children are able to understand that other people have their own minds think differently
- this enables them to predict what others will do
how do autistic children differ?
baron cohen thinks autistic children do not develop a theory of mind and therefore are unable to develop the complex skills of social interaction that others develop
what is mind-blindness?
it explains what baron cohen means about children with autism lacking a theory of mind
- he suggests that autistic individuals are not able to understand the inner mental states of others and cannot appreciate how others may think or feel
how did baron cohen research mind blindness?
he devised the sally anne test to assess his theory of mind
- this is a false belief task
- the child watches sally put her marble in a basket
- while she is out the room, anne moves the marble to a box
- the child is then asked where sally will look for the marble
what were the results of the sally anne test?
children with a theory of mind should understand the anne and sally think differnetly but children with autism cannot appreciate this
- if the child knows that the marble is now in the box, they will assume that everyone should know this too
what did baron cohen think about autistic chilren and emotion detection?
baron cohen noted that autistic spectrum disorder seem unable to read mental states and emotions by looking at eye direction
- in adults females tend to be better than males
what is a strength?
it is supported by the sally- anne test and the mind-in-the-eyes test
- the sally-anne test developed to test TOM is very useful to diagnose ASD in young children with limited communication skills so it has good applications
what supports the sally-anne test?
hutchins et al. reinforced BC’s theory finding that children with ASD did less well on their theoryof mind inventory tasks
what is a weakness of TOM?
it cannot explain all difficulties experienced by those with autism
- it does not explain why ASD sufferers have problems with verbal communication
- pellicano (2010) concludes that there are many individual differences in those with ASD
what did fletcher watson find?
they reviewed interventions based on TOM’s explanations and found that improvements in skills were short lived which suggests that TOM only has limited applications
what is the weakness that it might be a symptom?
a lack of theory of mind might be a symptom of autism rather than the cause
- this highlights the complexity of the condition and our lack of knowledge
- BC does go on to develop his exteme male brain theory highlighting physical differences in the brain, that may be responsible for ASD
