1. What do you already know?
Are we born with the concept of self?
What evidence do you have of this? Observations of children? Any idea of how psychologists might research this technique?
Is it a unique trait of humans?
TASK- Discuss with the person next to you and jot down some ideas. Then write down some questions you would like to know.
Dog_vs.__mirror.mp4

2. Overview:
To understand sense of self we study something called Social Cognition - The ability to predict, monitor and interpret the behaviour and mental states of others.
We are able to do this by picking up on someone’s tone of voice or minimal changes in facial expressions.
Children have to learn to understand these signals. They need to develop a sense of self, enabling them to distinguish between self and other.
Psychologists like Simon Baron-Cohen believe this distinction leads onto a Theory of Mind – the understanding that someone else’s thoughts are separate from our own.

3. Distinguishing between self and others – Theory of mind (TOM)
TOM – the understanding that someone else has a separate mind to your own and therefore does not experience the world as you do.
TOM develops between 3 and 4 years old.
Can you devise a task to assess whether a child has a TOM?

4. Research The False Belief Task.mp4
The classic false-belief task is called
the SALLY ANNE TEST and is used
to try to find out what is going on in
a child’s mind.
Can you see a problem with
this test? (A03!!)
Create a storyboard or flow
chart to show the Sally Anne test or a False Belief task.

5. TOM
TOM provides a common conceptual understanding that enables us to understand meaning and intentions.
Common understanding – essential for social interaction and play.
Enables us to empathise, manipulate and deceive others.
What might be difficult to understand in “Little Red Riding Hood?”

6. Mindblindness – TOM deficit (Baron-Cohen 1995) – key study (Baron-Cohen, Leslie and Frith, 1985)
Simon Baron-Cohen has taken a particular interest in the concept of ToM as a way of explaining autism in children.
These children find social interaction difficult.
K:\PSYCHOLOGY\A2\Cognitive and Moral Development\Sally_Anne_Test - Autism.mp4
In 1995 Baron-Cohen used the Sally Anne test to compare ToM in Autistic and Down’s Syndrome children. Make a few notes on this study.
The findings showed that autistic children lacked a ToM, but Down’s children were normal.
What did he conclude from this?
\\cvms-svr9\student_shared\PSYCHOLOGY\A2\Cognitive and Moral Development\The_Transporters - Autism.mp4

7. Evaluating theory of mind research
Simon Baron-Cohen's further work into people with autism being 'high systematisers' and 'low empathisers' supports the TOM deficit. Baron-Cohen (1985) study used 2 control groups to show how a TOM deficit was a condition of autism and not just low IQ. - improves credibility

8. Evaluating theory of mind research
Standard test questions are too complex
- Mitchell and Robinson 1995 – performance improved on the Smarties task when the children actually watched the Smarties being exchanged with the pens/candles.
It does not explain all the symptoms of autism – however they all still can be explained cognitively (hypersensitive to touch)
Simplistic as a theory as TOM develops over-time and individuals who were older and had high-functioning ASD could use mental-state reasoning as well children their age. 

9. Homework Task
Read articles on Autism to develop and stretch your understanding. Draw out implications and applications to add to your essay.