Theory of mind is a phrase that was introduced by woodruff and Premack. The two carried some experimental to demonstrate that higher mental capacities are possible in nonhuman primates. Their initial experiment triggered other researchers to carry extensive research on ToM. Through these researches a number of definitions for Tom have been arrived. One such definition states that the theory of mind is the ability to conceptualize, to represent and to reason about the mental states. The theory of mind is simply the ability of an individual to inference what others may be feeling or thinking, and to predict their actions regarding particular situations. The theory of mind is one of the arguable concepts that underlie all unconscious and conscious cognition of human behavior. It thus resembles Kantian social perception categories, but the framework besides classifying perpetual stimuli, also directs that classified input including prediction, explanation and inferences should further be processed (MALLE, 2002). Young children in the maturation process develop self-understanding as well as understanding for other people as psychological beings who feel, think, believe, know and want. They develop understanding that people think differently, and they learn that the human behavior is caused or motivated by their knowledge and beliefs (SCHICK, 2002).
Many basic components of theory of mind are present within the young children. At the age of 3, children can differentiate between the physical and mental entities. However, the children with the Asperger Syndrome/HFA often face challenges that relate to their ability to discern certain social skills and cues. They often face a difficulty in processing large packages of information or even while relating with others (Speaks, 2014). The core theories that can be used to explain this difficulty are; the theory of mind and; the executive functioning. Some of the contents of the executive functioning of interest include; planning, organizing, sustaining attention, as well as inhibitory responses to some inappropriate contents. Theory of mind has been researched upon by a number of scholars who conclude that it’s how one can successfully perceive others’ thinking, feeling as well as their relations with others. Theory of mind has a great impact on the behavior of a child suffering from the Asperger Syndrome. This theory remains one of the most consequential human abilities that haven’t been fully explored. Those who possess the theory of mind often view those children with Asperger Syndrome/ HFA as persons with “mind-blindness”. It’s due to this state of being “mentally blind” that these groups of children wouldn’t realize if one’s behavior are intentional or not. This has resulted into creation of the notion that the children with AS don’t show understanding or empathy, hence a lot of difficulty in the social scenarios. This theory often impacts on the children with AS (Goswami, 2008).
A number of studies have been used to illustrate a child’s capacity to appreciate the False Belief Theory. In the video, Theory of mind - Smarty’s task and Sally-Anne Task, the narrator uses children to show how at times they think all their fellows would think the same way as them in case their friends had been asked the same question. This is also referred to as the Force Belief Task or Other Person’s belief, a theory that manifests in children between the age of 3 and 4 (Paul and Tim, 2000). This empirical study explains that children aged 3years would easily fail a certain false belief tasks whereas their 4-year-old counterparts would easily succeed. Scientifically, children transits from simple theories of mind to more complex ones as they grow. The advantage of this theory is that you can ask the subject to control questions at a time (You Tube”© videos).
In his book Gaze behavior of pre-adolescent children afflicted with Asperger syndrome., Wiklund lists down some of the social deficits that are caused by the; 1. Difficulty in emotions understanding, 2. Difficulty in explaining someone’s behaviour, 3. Problem of accepting other’s views, 4. Difficulty in discerning others’ state of emotions, 5. Problem of distinguishing between a fact and fiction and; 6. The problem of inferring the motives of others (Wiklund, 2012). Given some assumptions, a theory like the false belief model can easily construct the algorithms that could reach a correct structural approach if it’s given sufficient information about the existing contingencies among other targets. Seaman, C. (2002), in his book A Parent's Guide To Asperger Syndrome And High-Functioning Autism: How to Meet the Challenges and Help Your Child Thrive, offer a number of suggestions that would help this group of children to succeed in the classroom. The suggestions are; 1. Coming up with day planners, 2. Posting classroom schedules, 3. Breaking down tasks using checklists, and; preferential desk placement, probably more proximal to the teacher and away from distractors.
There are a number of tasks that assess a child’s ability to give him or herself a wrong, false belief. These would take the form of showing a child a familiar object, probing their beliefs about its contents and thereafter revealing the content to them. They are they are then probed to state what they thought was in the container. These children in most cases, as evidenced in the video theory of mind.mov would fail to acknowledge their false beliefs. In conclusion, it’s quite clear that children systematically learn that beliefs are more of their mental representations that occasionally misrepresent the real world(You Tube”© videos).
References
Goswami, U. (2008). Cognitive development: The learning brain. New York: Psychology Press
Speaks, A. (2014, November 12). Executive Functioning and the Theory of Mind. Retrieved from Autism Speaks: http://www.autismspeaks.org/family-services/tool-kits/asperger-syndrome-and-high-functioning-autism-tool-kit/executive-functioning
Seaman, C. (2002). A parent's guide to Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism: How to meet the challenges and help your child thrive. Library Journal, 127(13), 130. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/196781298?accountid=1611
SCHICK, B., DE VILLIERS, J., DE VILLIERS, P., & HOFFMEISTER, B.(2002, December 3).Theory of mind: Language and cognition in deaf children. The ASHA Leader, 22, 6–7, 14.
Wiklund, M. (2012). Gaze behavior of pre-adolescent children afflicted with Asperger syndrome. Communication & Medicine, 9(2), 173-86. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1411813042?accountid=1611
MALLE, B. F. (2002). The relation between language and theory of mind in development and evolution. In T. Givón & B. F. Malle (Eds.), The evolution of language out of pre-language (pp. 265–284). Amsterdam: Benjamins.
You Tube”© videos about False Belief tasks and Theory of Mind. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJkB6nrk1CAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41jSdOQQpv0 ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwMZmjsCQ9w
