Theory Of Mind
Theory of mind is an important concept to understand as educators of children in the early years as it is developed through children’s interactions with their peers, families, educators and diverse environments (Whites, Hayes and Livesey, 2010) Theory of mind can be defined as the understanding of mental states, such as belief, desire and knowledge, that enables us to explain and predict other’s behaviour (Miller, 2006).It is the ability to perceive what another person might be thinking or might know (Whites, Hayes and Livesey, 2010 ).
This essay will examine the influence that language has on Theory of mind, using four research articles, which identify different methods and results used. According to Slade and Ruffman (2005) language influence …show more content…
Finally a task called ‘Describe-a-friend’ where the children use language to describe and talk about a friend and how close they are (Grazzani and Ornaghi, 2012).
There are a few limitations in this method design used. As this was a short study, the result are limited to what the participants abilities are and how they could grow further with the research that they are being a part of (Miller, 2006). Another limitation that needs mentioning is how without the prior knowledge of the children’s ability they could not commence the research appropriately as the children would not have been able to complete or take part in particular tasks or tests without the prior knowledge of what was expected of them (Grazzani and Ornaghi, 2012).
This research study contributes to the body of knowledge on the topic on theory of mind as it suggests that from a young age children develop their understandings of emotional language and learn early on how to vocalize their emotions or how to describe the emotions of others. This is seen through the microgenetic format used (White, Hayes and Levees, …show more content…
The main idea in Slade and Ruffman (2012) longitudinal study investigates the relationship between children’s development of language and its influence on Theory of Mind. The participants included in this study were forty four preschool children, aged between three and four and a half years of age. The participants completed a range of tasks twice with a six month gap in between (Slade and Ruffman, 2005). These following tasks and tests were completed in a 20 minute block for each session.
These tasks included a warm up, where children were asked to point at images on a sheet of paper. Then questions asked like ‘point at the ball’, had extra information attached to them, such as ‘point at the ball, that is under the table’ so children had to classify which ball they needed to point at (Slade and Ruffman,
This essay will examine the influence that language has on Theory of mind, using four research articles, which identify different methods and results used. According to Slade and Ruffman (2005) language influence …show more content…
Finally a task called ‘Describe-a-friend’ where the children use language to describe and talk about a friend and how close they are (Grazzani and Ornaghi, 2012).
There are a few limitations in this method design used. As this was a short study, the result are limited to what the participants abilities are and how they could grow further with the research that they are being a part of (Miller, 2006). Another limitation that needs mentioning is how without the prior knowledge of the children’s ability they could not commence the research appropriately as the children would not have been able to complete or take part in particular tasks or tests without the prior knowledge of what was expected of them (Grazzani and Ornaghi, 2012).
This research study contributes to the body of knowledge on the topic on theory of mind as it suggests that from a young age children develop their understandings of emotional language and learn early on how to vocalize their emotions or how to describe the emotions of others. This is seen through the microgenetic format used (White, Hayes and Levees, …show more content…
The main idea in Slade and Ruffman (2012) longitudinal study investigates the relationship between children’s development of language and its influence on Theory of Mind. The participants included in this study were forty four preschool children, aged between three and four and a half years of age. The participants completed a range of tasks twice with a six month gap in between (Slade and Ruffman, 2005). These following tasks and tests were completed in a 20 minute block for each session.
These tasks included a warm up, where children were asked to point at images on a sheet of paper. Then questions asked like ‘point at the ball’, had extra information attached to them, such as ‘point at the ball, that is under the table’ so children had to classify which ball they needed to point at (Slade and Ruffman,