Theory of Mind
Theory of mind is a complex skill set that develops over the course of childhood. It describes the ability to to attribute mental states (e.g., beliefs, intentions, emotions, knowledge, perspectives) to oneself and to others, and to understand that other people’s mental states are different from one’s own.
Young infants do not have theory of mind skills; their thoughts are limited to their own sensory and motor experiences. This begins to change quickly. Two month old babies prefer looking at eyes, and four month old babies can determine the direction of someone else’s eye gaze. Between nine and ten months babies alternate looking between a person and an object. Approximately a month later, they can follow a head turn and gaze shift. By the time children are eighteen months old they follow eye gaze alone. In early childhood, kids continue to the develop foundational skills that they’ll need to master theory of mind when they get a little older. These skills include:
- Paying attention to other people
- Imitating other people
- Understanding emotions and emotion words
- Realizing that different people have different likes and dislikes
- Understanding cause and effect
- Dramatic play
When children reach age four and five, they are better able to think about other people’s thoughts and feelings. This is when true theory of mind emerges. Typically developing children master theory of mind skills in a standard sequence:
- Understanding wanting: people want different things, and will act in certain ways to get what they want
- Understanding thinking: different people can have different beliefs about the same thing, and will act based on what they think is going to happen
- Understanding seeing leads to knowing: information about an object can be gained by looking at it. If you can’t see it, you might need extra information to help you understand it
- Understanding false beliefs: people can believe things that aren’t true, and will act in accordance with their beliefs and not with reality
- Understanding hidden emotions: people can display an emotion that is different from what they feel
Theory of mind doesn’t stop there. Older children continue to develop their skills over the next several years. These skills become more important as they become integrated into other areas of development. For example, kids rely heavily on theory of mind when developing complex language, such as sarcasm, lies, and figurative language. In terms of social competence, theory of mind is crucial for engaging in meaningful conversations, maintaining friendships, and resolving conflicts. Further, research supports a relationship between theory of mind and executive function skills. Executive function is an umbrella term for the set of mental skills that people use in everyday life to get things done (including working memory, time management, self-control, etc.) Evidence suggests that kids with more advanced executive functioning skills are better able to simultaneously hold multiple perspectives in their mind. Further, they can switch between these perspectives, which may assist in identifying the mental states of another person.
Not all children develop theory of mind in the same way. Kids with social communication difficulties, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorder often have difficulty with theory of mind, and may need treatment to aid in its development. These children can have trouble with:
- Telling stories
- Having conversations
- Making friends
- Understanding why people do and say what they do
- Participating in pretend play
- Understanding characters’ perspectives in stories
Want to help foster your child’s theory of mind? Studies show that parents who talk and play with their children using thinking and feeling words can boost their child’s theory of mind development. In early childhood, encourage theory of mind by:
- Playing “I Spy”
- Playing “Simon Says”
- Singing songs about facial features (“Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”; “If you’re happy and you know it make a smile”)
- Emotional charades (“Guess how I feel”)
- Modelling language to talk about thoughts, feelings, and different points of view
- Playing with eye gaze (“Guess what I’m looking at”)
With four and five year olds, you can talk and play games to address each specific theory of mind skill:
- Understanding wanting:
- Identify different people’s preferences (“Sam wants pancakes for breakfast, and Jake wants waffles”)
- Compare likes and dislikes (“I like going on the swings, but Sarah doesn’t. Sarah likes going on the the slide”)
- Make predictions and give explanations (“I think Abby will want the blue marker, because blue is her favorite color”)
- Understanding thinking:
1 . Use “thinking” words (think/don’t think, hope, believe, remember, forget, know, feel, guess, imagine, wonder)
2 . Encourage different viewpoints (“I think this picture is the best. Which one do you think is the best?”; “I know you want a cookie, but it’s almost time for lunch”)
- Understanding seeing leads to knowing:
- Use “seeing” words (see/don’t see, show, look)
- Use language to link “seeing” and “knowing”: (“I’ll turn the book so you can see the picture and know what I’m talking about”; “I can’t see the toy — tell me about it”)
- Understanding false beliefs:
- Use related vocabulary (real, pretend, trick, lie, know, remember, expect, fool)
- Play pretend (“I see a dragon. It’s not a real dragon, I’m just pretending”)
- Role play (“You be the princess and I’ll be the knight”)
- Understanding hidden emotions:
- Role play (yes, more!)
- Talk about characters’ emotions in books and movies (even better if you can discuss why the character is hiding their true emotion)
If you have concerns about your child’s theory of mind development or it’s relationship to their language, social, or executive function skills, contact The Speech Studio. A licensed and certified speech-language pathologist can work with your child to remediate areas of difficulty. For more information visit our website or call (914) 893–2223.
