The role of socio-cultural factors in children's theory of mind development.

• Main Author: Yee, Ying JIa.
• Other Authors: School of Humanities and Social Sciences
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/48725
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Research has found that most children develop a Theory of Mind (ToM); i.e., the ability to attribute mental states to the self and to others (a “theory” since mental states cannot be observed, they must be inferred). However, there are variations in the age at which children from different family backgrounds and cultures develop ToM, as well as the type of social understandings that they have of others. Children from different cultures perceive and attribute others' behaviors differently, suggesting that the socio-cultural experiences that children go through influence their ToM development. Infants may begin with a universal and general framework that they use to understand others, which is then shaped and developed differently as they go through different interactions and experiences in the family and culture. This review will examine the various important social factors and interactions, specifically in the family context, that may underlie variations in children's ToM development, as well as outline the cultural differences in children's development of ToM.