Theory of Mind

1978

David Premack (b. 1925)

The ability to imagine what other people feel or think and to respond accordingly is one of the most important accomplishments of social development. Modern developmental science has been intensively studying this ability in infants, children, chimpanzees, and even rodents for about thirty years.

Developmental psychologists call this ability theory of mind (ToM). It is a principle that can be found in several of the world’s major religions, but in psychology, David Premack and Guy Woodruff offered one of the first full expressions of ToM in 1978. Formally, theory of mind refers to children’s understanding that others also have thoughts, beliefs, objectives, and emotions. Without ToM, the child would not be able to pick up on the social cues or intentions of others, as is often the case when a child suffers from Autism.

Theory of mind is a developmental process that, in normally developing children, is usually fully in place by about age four or five. Scientists have found that the critical precursors of ToM occur as early as seven to nine months as the infant learns that the attention of others can be directed by simple tasks like pointing or reaching. By the end of the first year, infants are beginning to understand that people have intentions. But it is not until about age four or five that children truly understand that there is a link between how others feel or think and what they do.

Neuroscientists using brain-imaging techniques have shown that this is exactly the age when the prefrontal cortex of the brain is rapidly maturing. For children with autism, this is not the case, although there are interventions that can help improve the brain’s responses in children with autism.

Theory of mind is crucially important for displaying empathy and caring for others. It makes it possible for us to be socially competent. Research on ToM has greatly facilitated our understanding of children’s social development, with implications for emotional and cognitive development. It is also a principle that facilitated the reception of mirror neurons.

SEE ALSO Genetic Epistemology (1926), Mirror Neurons (1992)

By age four or five, normal children learn that a person’s actions link to what they feel and think—a crucial step in the development of empathy and social competence.