Theory of Mind

(1)  Perner:
•	Single Updating Model (0 to 18 Months)
•	behaviour/mind
•	Multiple Models (18 months - 4 years)
•	e.g., own mental state, other's mental state
•	Metarepresentation (4 years +)
•	represent representations as representations

Self-Recognition (Bischof-Köhler, 1988)

   TIME 1

16 - 24 mo. olds:

Self-Recognisers
(touch cheek)
	Transitional
(coy)	Nonrecognisers
(image = playmate)	
18  (50%)	10  (28%)	8  (22%)	
			
•	multiple models: √

Pretence (18 months)
•	multiple models:  √
•	Model 1:  pen
•	Model 2:  airplane

Desire (3 years)
•	by 3 years children recognise “X” feels happy when gets what wants and sad when doesn’t get it (e.g., Yuill, 1983)
Example:
"Sue wants to be in Australia"
•	multiple models:  √

Metarepresentation (4 years)
•	reflecting on representations as representations =  metarepresentation  (Pylyshyn, BBS, 1979)
•	must represent (understand) the "representing relation"

Example 1:
Venus = morning star = evening star
(a) What: represents something ("a certain thing in sky")
(b) As What: represents "thing in sky" as being in a certain way (as Venus, morning star, evening star)
•	metarepresentation:	√

Example 2: False Belief
"Sue falsely believes she is in Australia"
(a) What: situation where Sue is in England
(b) As What: "Sue in Australia"
•	metarepresentation:	√

Example 3: Appearance-Reality (Flavell et al., 1986)

(a) What: What colour is it really? (Reality question)
(b) As What: What colour does it look like? (Appearance question)

•	Result:  4-year-olds answer both questions correctly
•	metarepresentation:  √

Example 4: Aspects of Knowledge (O’Neill et al., 1992)

Materials:
•	2 identical objects except for colour
					or
•	2 identical objects except for weight

Method:
•	child given 2 objects
•	inspects each
•	one secretly hidden in tunnel
•	2 "see" tasks, 2 "feel" tasks

Question:  "To find out for sure which (object) is under the tunnel, what would you have to do -- see or feel?"

Percentage Children Correct on all 4 Trials:

3 Years
	4 Years	5 Years	
16%	27%	75%	

•	metarepresentation:	√

Why metarepresentation? 

What:  X sees the pillow
As What:  X represents the pillow as heavy

Example 5:  Simple Desire:  (Situations, Not Metarepresentation)

•	why needn’t desire understanding require metarepresentation?

"Sue wants to be in Australia"

(a) As What: "Sue in Australia"
(b) What: is no real situation which it represents, is only a hypothetical situation
•	metarepresentation:  X
•	“what” and “as what” are the same, aren’t distinguished