What is Theory of Mind?
The emergence of theory of mind occurs when a child recognizes that
others have their own thoughts and concerns. Children begin to recognize this at around the age
of 4. "Theory of Mind" was coined by David Premack and Guy Woodruff when they were investigating whether or not
chimpanzees could predict the behavior of another, in other words if they understood that others had their own intentions
and motivations. A child who had a 'Theory of Mind' could understand that they would be able trick
another child into believing something that was untrue; this is called a False Belief.
An example of a False Belief would be a child who has
a box of chocolates which is not actually filled with chocolates but instead it is filled with Kleenex. This child realizes
that when he/she goes to give out the 'chocolates' the person the child is trying to trick will believe that
they are getting candies and not a handful of Kleenex. This child understands that the other person he/she is trying
to play a trick on does not know what they know.
Some children with autism (such
as Asperger’s Syndrome) are considered to have ‘mind-blindness’;
in other words, autistic individuals generally lack a ‘theory of mind’.