Theory of Mind
Theory of Mind and Autism Do Modularity or Theory formation theories provide adequate explanations? ... One explanation for how we do this is that we develop a ‘theory of mind’: a concept that others have independent mental states which influence their actions (Frith, 1989). A notable exception is apparent in people with autism who are found to be disproportionately impaired on tasks that test theory of mind development (Frith, 1989). This essay will compare modularity and theory formation explanations of theory of mind development and argue that neither theoretical perspective adequately explains all aspects of theory of mind. ... While modularity and theory formation are competing theories, researchers agree on some commonalities. Children typically follow a similar pattern in developing a theory of mind which includes several distinct and sequential stages culminating in their understanding that others may have different and even incorrect (false) beliefs by 4 years of age (Baron-Cohen & Swettenham, 1996). Both theories also propose elements of nativism with, at minimum, some basic innate concepts and rules concerning theory of mind, but it is in the extent of this nativism that the theories begin to differ. Modularity theory postulates that within our mental architecture are modules, or components, that process domain-specific types of information, such as visual stimulus, and produces characteristic outputs, such as a representation of a three-dimensional object.