DR PENNY TOK
Theory of MindLifespan
development 2
 Continue where we left off last week
 ToM in adults
 ToM in old age
Seminar:
 Class activity
Today
 What is ToM?
 Name ways to measure it
 What are the cultural differences that might affect ToM
development?
RECAP!
(ADD VIDEO!!!!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSwGe55dD70
Differences between behavioural sensitivity and
mentalising
Mentalising/ EXPLICIT –
(conscious, effortful) ToM
Behavioural sensitivities /
IMPLICIT (automatic
unconscious) ToM
Eye tracking
How would you test an infant?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfOtEjZFaq4
• Onishi & Baillargeon, 2005
“Violation of
Expectation” method
Southgate, Senju, Csibra, 2007
Action Anticipation- anticipatory looking
• 3-way actor-object- location association
• behavioural rules- people look for an object where they last saw it
• Changes in latent activation in non-frontal regions
Knowing about BEHAVIOUR versus knowing about
mental states MEDIATING BEHAVIOUR
(read: Perner, J., & Ruffman, T. (2005). Infants ’ Insight into the Mind : Science, 308(5719), 214-216)
BUT…
• Range of belief tasks
• Testing predictions and explanations
• Longitudinal studies
• ‘Pure’ tests of false beliefs
What can do to overcome these challenges?
1. Hide and seek
2. Understanding fairy tales and stories
3. Pretend play: tea party
4. Protodeclarative pointing
5. Social referencing
6. Eye gaze: will follow eye gaze of adult IF joint attention was
established prior to the adult looking away
Real life scenarios…
What other skills are necessary?
Executive function- mental capacity
Language
Acquisition of false belief
understanding coincides
with significant changes in
EXECUTIVE
FUNCTIONING
WHY?
LANGUAGE
Executive functioning Theory of Mind Language
What are the social implications of ToM change
across development?
Consequences of ToM
• Social relationships: prosocial and anti-social
Emotional
Regulation:
links with problems in
peer relationships
Ring leader bullies have been found
to have exceptionalToM!
Victims however have been found to
have poorToM!
Anxiety
Low self esteem
Preschool development in
ToM may increase
sensitivity to criticism and
lead to later:
 Advanced ToM tests:
Testing adults
Advanced ToM- Strange Stories
(Happe, 1994)
Does ToM
increase, decrease
or stay the same
as we grow older?
Discussion
ToM in old age
Crystallised
versus
fluid intelligence
“knowledge that comes from prior learning
and past experiences.”
Crystallised intelligence
Cattell:
"…the ability to perceive relationships
independent of previous specific practice or
instruction concerning those relationships."
Fluid intelligence
Gender differences in ToM
MUST read Mechanisms of Social cognition:
Frith, C. D., & Frith, U. (2012). Mechanisms of social cognition. Annual
review of psychology, 63, 287–313. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-120710-
100449
This reading will be included in your test in Week 5
HOMEWORK FOR NEXT WEEK
Stone & Gerrans, 2006