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Theory of Mind

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Towards a Theory of Thinking

Part of the book series: On Thinking ((ONTHINKING))

Abstract

The ability to attribute mental states to oneself and others is fundamental to human cognition and social behavior. Research on the development of a Theory of Mind in childhood indicates a two-step developmental sequence of desire-understanding and belief-understanding in preschool age. There is ongoing debate about the significance of recent findings on Theory of Mind in infancy. Neuroimaging studies of Theory of Mind reasoning in adults provide some support for a specific Theory of Mind network. This claim is contested, however, and many relevant studies have not yet been done. There is no hard evidence for a Theory of Mind (and an understanding of belief) in non-human primates, but there is evidence for a lower-level perception-goal psychology in some animals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Leopoldstr. 13, 80802, München, Germany

    Beate Sodian & Susanne Kristen

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  1. Beate Sodian
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  2. Susanne Kristen
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Correspondence to Beate Sodian .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Parmenides Foundation, Kardinal Faulhaber Str. 14 a, Munich, 80333, Germany

    Britt Glatzeder

  2. Dept. Psychology, York University, Keele Street 4700, Toronto, M3J 1P3, Canada

    Vinod Goel

  3. Parmenides Foundation, Kardinal Faulhaber Str. 14 a, Munich, 80333, Germany

    Albrecht Müller

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Sodian, B., Kristen, S. (2010). Theory of Mind. In: Glatzeder, B., Goel, V., Müller, A. (eds) Towards a Theory of Thinking. On Thinking. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-03129-8_13

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