Dr Smith wants to assess theory of mind in 10-month-old infants. How would she go about testing theory-of-mind abilities in these children?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The most appropriate method for testing theory-of-mind abilities in infants is the violation of expectation paradigm. This method involves showing infants events that violate their expectations based on the assumption that the infants have an understanding of the mental states of others. For example, in a false-belief task, a researcher might show an infant a puppet that conceals a toy in one location while another puppet watches, and then hides the toy in a different location while the observing puppet is out of view. If the infant looks longer at the puppet that searches in the wrong location, it suggests that they understand that the observing puppet has a false belief about the location of the toy. This response would indicate an understanding of theory of mind.

Dr Smith Wants to Assess Theory of Mind in 10-Month-Old