THEORY OF THE MINDTHEORY OF THE MINDandand

DEAF CHILDRENDEAF CHILDREN

What Does it Mean to What Does it Mean to Say Someone Has Say Someone Has

“Theory of the Mind?”“Theory of the Mind?”

•Theory of the Mind: ability to differentiate between your personal beliefs and another person’s beliefs (young children are incapable of this)

Example!Example!Once upon a time, Once upon a time,

Kermit and Miss Kermit and Miss Piggy made a cake Piggy made a cake together.together.

But Kermit wanted to But Kermit wanted to go outside and play go outside and play with Fozzy before with Fozzy before eating his cake, so eating his cake, so he put the cake in he put the cake in the cupboard.the cupboard.

While Kermit was outside, Miss Piggy moved While Kermit was outside, Miss Piggy moved the cake to the refrigerator to keep it from the cake to the refrigerator to keep it from melting. Then she left to go visit Gonzo.melting. Then she left to go visit Gonzo.

Kermit comes home and wants to eat his Kermit comes home and wants to eat his cake. Where do you think Kermit will look cake. Where do you think Kermit will look for his cake? In the cupboard or in the for his cake? In the cupboard or in the fridge?fridge?

Why is it Important to have a Why is it Important to have a Theory of Mind?Theory of Mind?

Explain and understand other people’s Explain and understand other people’s actionsactions

ToM in everyday lifeToM in everyday life Bruner: reading and “landscape of Bruner: reading and “landscape of

action” vs. “landscape of consciousness” action” vs. “landscape of consciousness” Astington and Pelletier: social skills and Astington and Pelletier: social skills and

learning learning ToM and Autism ToM and Autism

Testing the Theory of MindTesting the Theory of Mind

What we know:What we know: Development of ToM is different in hearing Development of ToM is different in hearing

children and deaf childrenchildren and deaf children Deaf children socialize normally Deaf children socialize normally Question: Do deaf children have a ToM, just Question: Do deaf children have a ToM, just

not the language to understand the research not the language to understand the research questions or to express their understanding questions or to express their understanding to researchers? Or, does a delay in linguistic to researchers? Or, does a delay in linguistic ability relate to a delay in ToM development?ability relate to a delay in ToM development?

Experiment: Jill G. deVilliers Experiment: Jill G. deVilliers and Peter A. deVilliersand Peter A. deVilliers

Deaf language-delayed children vs. deaf Deaf language-delayed children vs. deaf children with immediate language exposure children with immediate language exposure (ages 4-7)(ages 4-7)

Three categories of tests:Three categories of tests: Non-verbal IQNon-verbal IQ Language assessmentsLanguage assessments

VocabularyVocabulary General syntactic comprehensionGeneral syntactic comprehension Processing and production of embedded complement Processing and production of embedded complement

clauses using verbs of cognition and communicationclauses using verbs of cognition and communication ToM tasksToM tasks

More on ToM TasksMore on ToM Tasks

Low-Verbal and High-Verbal tasksLow-Verbal and High-Verbal tasks Using both isolates ToM from linguistic Using both isolates ToM from linguistic

abilityability Basic types of tests:Basic types of tests:

Unseen-object-location-change (the Unseen-object-location-change (the Kermit’s cake example)Kermit’s cake example)

Unexpected contents: the child expresses Unexpected contents: the child expresses expectations (his own and a friend’s) about expectations (his own and a friend’s) about what should be in a familiar container what should be in a familiar container

Advantages of Experimental Advantages of Experimental DesignDesign

All tests translated into ASL and All tests translated into ASL and carried out by native ASL-signing carried out by native ASL-signing deaf researchersdeaf researchers

Careful assessment of language Careful assessment of language abilities can establish link between abilities can establish link between linguistic competence and ToMlinguistic competence and ToM

Low-Verbal TasksLow-Verbal TasksThe children were tested with two The children were tested with two

games with low verbal requirements, games with low verbal requirements, but still involving Theory of Mind, but still involving Theory of Mind,

designed to designed to test their reasoning test their reasoning

regarding states of regarding states of

knowledge/ignorance knowledge/ignorance

and the beliefs of a and the beliefs of a charactercharacter

A Low-Verbal Game: “Surprised A Low-Verbal Game: “Surprised Face”Face”

An object always found in a An object always found in a distinctive container(such as distinctive container(such as a box of Crayola crayons) is a box of Crayola crayons) is substituted for something one substituted for something one would not usually find in the would not usually find in the container. container.

• 6 pictures telling a story are shown. The story

is about two characters, and the pictures are

clear enough that no verbal narrative is

necessary.

The main character of the story either did The main character of the story either did or did not see the switch.or did not see the switch.

• The child must decide whether a character will be surprised when they open the container and find the new object inside by choosing between two faces (a “not surprised” face and a “surprised” face).

High-Verbal TasksHigh-Verbal Tasks

These are used with hearing childrenThese are used with hearing children

(tests are adapted for deaf children (tests are adapted for deaf children by native ASL speakers) to determine by native ASL speakers) to determine whether a child can understand and whether a child can understand and expressexpress (using language) the false (using language) the false

beliefs of a character, a friend, and beliefs of a character, a friend, and

themselves. themselves.

Types of High-Verbal TasksTypes of High-Verbal Tasks

Unseen-object-location-change (the Unseen-object-location-change (the Kermit’s cake example): the child is Kermit’s cake example): the child is asked to tell the researcher asked to tell the researcher wherewhere the the uninformed character would look and uninformed character would look and whywhy he would look there he would look there

Unexpected contents (the surprised Unexpected contents (the surprised face game is the low-verbal face game is the low-verbal counterpart): A high-verbal counterpart): A high-verbal demonstration! demonstration!

Results Results

Deaf children with deaf, ASL-signing Deaf children with deaf, ASL-signing parents performed comparably to parents performed comparably to hearing children hearing children

Oral deaf children and deaf children Oral deaf children and deaf children with non-signing parents did worse with non-signing parents did worse than the deaf children of deaf than the deaf children of deaf parents on both low and high verbal parents on both low and high verbal taskstasks

(The Linguistic Abilities of

Each Age Group)

(The Number of ToM Tasks Completed By Each Age Group

Tested)

ConclusionsConclusions

Maybe success on ToM is dependent Maybe success on ToM is dependent on having linguistic framework for on having linguistic framework for expression expression of knowledge, which deaf of knowledge, which deaf children lack (Woolfe, Want, and children lack (Woolfe, Want, and Siegal (2002))Siegal (2002))

But, there is a close relationship But, there is a close relationship between complementation and between complementation and success on ToM taskssuccess on ToM tasks

Statistical Analysis of the Results

Conclusion: deVilliers and Conclusion: deVilliers and deVilliers deVilliers

““The data are just what one would The data are just what one would expect if the acquisition of expect if the acquisition of complementation in language made complementation in language made possible the representation of certain possible the representation of certain relationships, those holding between relationships, those holding between people’s minds and states of affairs, people’s minds and states of affairs, that were inaccessible or incomplete that were inaccessible or incomplete before.”before.”

SourcesSources Jill G. deVilliers, Peter A. deVilliers (2003) Language for Thought: Jill G. deVilliers, Peter A. deVilliers (2003) Language for Thought:

Coming to Understand False Beliefs. Coming to Understand False Beliefs. http://www.ling.umd.edu/~colin/readings/640readings/devilliers2003.http://www.ling.umd.edu/~colin/readings/640readings/devilliers2003.pdfpdf

Brenda Schick, Peter deVilliers, Jill deVilliers, and Robert Hoffmeister Brenda Schick, Peter deVilliers, Jill deVilliers, and Robert Hoffmeister (2002). Theory of Mind: Language and Cognition in Deaf Children (2002). Theory of Mind: Language and Cognition in Deaf Children http://www.asha.org/about/publications/leader-online/archives/2002/qhttp://www.asha.org/about/publications/leader-online/archives/2002/q4/f021203.htm4/f021203.htm

Brenda Schick, Peter de Villiers, Jill de Villiers, Robert Hoffmeister Brenda Schick, Peter de Villiers, Jill de Villiers, Robert Hoffmeister (2007) (2007) Language and Theory of Mind: A Study of Deaf Children Language and Theory of Mind: A Study of Deaf Children Child Development 78 (2), 376–396. http://www.blackwell-Child Development 78 (2), 376–396. http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01004.xsynergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01004.x

Tyron Woolfe, Stephen C Want, Michael Siegal (2002) Tyron Woolfe, Stephen C Want, Michael Siegal (2002) Signposts to Development: Theory of Mind in Deaf Children Signposts to Development: Theory of Mind in Deaf Children Child Development 73 (3), 768–778. http://www.blackwell-Child Development 73 (3), 768–778. http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/links/doi/10.1111/1467-8624.00437synergy.com/links/doi/10.1111/1467-8624.00437

Josef Perner; Uta Frith; Alan M. Leslie; Susan R. Leekam. Josef Perner; Uta Frith; Alan M. Leslie; Susan R. Leekam. Exploration Exploration of the Autistic Child's Theory of Mind: Knowledge, Belief, and of the Autistic Child's Theory of Mind: Knowledge, Belief, and CommunicationCommunication . . Child DevelopmentChild Development, Vol. 60, No. 3. (Jun., 1989), pp. , Vol. 60, No. 3. (Jun., 1989), pp. 689-700. Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0009-689-700. Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0009-3920%28198906%2960%3A3%3C689%3AEOTACT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-03920%28198906%2960%3A3%3C689%3AEOTACT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-0