It typically means understanding that there is a difference between what you know and experience, and what others know and experience.
If you don't have theory of mind, you assume that anything you know, everyone else knows as well.
Here's the classic experiment to test theory of mind:
The experimenter shows a kid two boxes. One has a picture of pencils, and one has a picture of chocolate.
"Which box has the chocolate?" the experimenter asks.
The kid points to the box with the chocolate picture. Now the experimenter opens the boxes. Indeed, the pencil box has pencils, and the chocolate box has chocolate.
Now, while the kid watches, the experimenter switches the contents. Chocolate is in the pencil box, and pencils are in the chocolate box.
Now the experimenter says, "Your mom wants chocolate. When she comes in, which box will she open to find the chocolate?"
Kids without a theory of mind will say, "The pencil box." They know the chocolate is now in the pencil box, so they assume everyone knows.
Kids with a theory of mind will say, "The chocolate box." They know two things: that most people will assume that a chocolate box contains chocolate, AND they know that their mom didn't see the experimenter switch it.
You can do simpler, non-verbal variations on this, involving hidden objects. They work the same way, to see if a kid understands that what they know is not necessarily known to others.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2011-05-23 07:40 pm (UTC)If you don't have theory of mind, you assume that anything you know, everyone else knows as well.
Here's the classic experiment to test theory of mind:
The experimenter shows a kid two boxes. One has a picture of pencils, and one has a picture of chocolate.
"Which box has the chocolate?" the experimenter asks.
The kid points to the box with the chocolate picture. Now the experimenter opens the boxes. Indeed, the pencil box has pencils, and the chocolate box has chocolate.
Now, while the kid watches, the experimenter switches the contents. Chocolate is in the pencil box, and pencils are in the chocolate box.
Now the experimenter says, "Your mom wants chocolate. When she comes in, which box will she open to find the chocolate?"
Kids without a theory of mind will say, "The pencil box." They know the chocolate is now in the pencil box, so they assume everyone knows.
Kids with a theory of mind will say, "The chocolate box." They know two things: that most people will assume that a chocolate box contains chocolate, AND they know that their mom didn't see the experimenter switch it.
You can do simpler, non-verbal variations on this, involving hidden objects. They work the same way, to see if a kid understands that what they know is not necessarily known to others.