Why Language Matters For Theory Of Mind

by Astington, Janet Wilde; Baird, Jodie A.

• ISBN13: 9780195159912
• ISBN10: 0195159918
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-03-24
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

"Theory of mind" is the phrase researchers use to refer to children's understanding of people as mental beings, who have beliefs, desires, emotions, and intentions, and whose actions and interactions can be interpreted and explained by taking account of these mental states. The gradualdevelopment of children's theory of mind, particularly during the early years, is by now well described in the research literature. What is lacking, however, is a decisive explanation of how children acquire this understanding. Recent research has shown strong relations between children's linguisticabilities and their theory of mind. Yet exactly what role these abilities play is controversial and uncertain. The purpose of this book is to provide a forum for the leading scholars in the field to explore thoroughly the role of language in the development of the theory of mind. This volume willappeal to students and researchers in developmental and cognitive psychology.

Table of Contents

Contributors	xi
1. Introduction: Why Language Matters	3	(23)
Janet Wilde Astington and Jodie A. Baird
2. Language Pathways into the Community of Minds	26	(24)
Katherine Nelson
3. Communication, Relationships, and Individual Differences in Children's Understanding of Mind	50	(20)
Judy Dunn and Marcia Brophy
4. Conversation, Pretense, and Theory of Mind	70	(14)
Paul L. Harris
5. Talking about "New" Information: The Given/New Distinction and Children's Developing Theory of Mind	84	(22)
Daniela K. O'Neill
6. The Developmental Origins of Meaning for Mental Terms	106	(17)
Derek E. Montgomery
7. Language Promotes Structural Alignment in the Acquisition of Mentalistic Concepts	123	(21)
Dare A. Baldwin and Megan M. Saylor
8. Language and the Development of Cognitive Flexibility: Implications for Theory of Mind	144	(19)
Sophie Jacques and Philip David Zelazo
9. Representational Development and False-Belief Understanding	163	(23)
Janet Wilde Astington and Jodie A. Baird
10. Can Language Acquisition Give Children a Point of View?	186	(34)
Jill G. de Villiers
11. What Does "That" Have to Do with Point of View? Conflicting Desires and "Want" in German	220	(25)
Josef Perner, Petra Zauner, and Manuel Sprung
12. Linguistic Communication and Social Understanding	245	(21)
Heidemarie Lohmann, Michael Tomasello, and Sonja Meyer
13. The Role of Language in Theory-of-Mind Development: What Deaf Children Tell Us	266	(32)
Peter A. de Villiers
14. How Language Facilitates the Acquisition of False-Belief Understanding in Children with Autism	298	(21)
Helen Tager-Flusberg and Robert M. Joseph
15. Genetic and Environmental Influences on Individual Differences in Language and Theory of Mind: Common or Distinct?	319	(22)
Claire Hughes
Author Index	341	(8)
Subject Index	349