Question

Media Clip D Theory of the Mind 1. Define the term theory of mind. Describe how researchers use theory of mind tasks such as the "False Belief Task" to assess what children know about the minds of others. 2. What has your experience been with autism spectrum disorder. How might the concept of theory of the mind tie in with understanding some types of autism?

Answer 1

Theory of mind (ToM) in simple term may be called as social understanding. Theory of mind describes the developmental process whereby the child comes to understand others' minds or anticipate what others may be thinking, feeling or intending. Theory of mind develops continuously throughout childhood and into late adolescence as the synapses in the prefrontal cortex develop. Children seem to develop theory of mind skills sequentially. The first skill to develop is the ability to recognize that others have diverse desires. Children are able to recognize that others have diverse beliefs soon after.  Finally, children are able to understand that others may have false beliefs and that others are capable of hiding emotions.

False-belief task is one of the earliest test for theory of mind. In False Belief Task a situation is created in which a child is led to believe something about a current set of circumstances, but this belief is different from a belief that should/could be held by others. To pass the task, the child must be able to understand that another's mental representation of the situation is different from their own, and the child must be able to predict behavior based on that understanding. One such example is when a boy leaves chocolate on a shelf and then leaves the room. His mother puts it in the fridge. To pass the task, the child must understand that the boy, upon returning, holds the false belief that his chocolate is still on the shelf. The results of research using false-belief tasks have been fairly consistent: most normally developing children are able to pass the tasks from around age four including those with Down syndrome.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurobiological disorder that significantly impairs children's social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and behaviors. Children with autistic disorder are sometimes said to be "mind-blind", in that they lack the ability to put themselves in the place of another person. Theory of mind is impaired in Autism. In one study, 80% of children diagnosed with autism failed the False Belief Task. This led to the conclusion that Autism leads to a delay in the development of theory of mind, and that people with autism have difficulty understanding the mental states of others. Inability to Form a Theory of Mind May Offer Clues About ASD Symptoms. Number of observational brain studies have suggested that certain areas of the brain are not being activated in those with ASD who cannot easily form a theory of mind. On the treatment front, linking Theary of Mind issues with Autism Spectrum Disorder provides some basis for the use of applied behavior analysis (ABA) to deal with behavioral matters stemming from social or communication deficits.