University Essay: Development of Theory of Mind in Children

This essay delves into the intricate development of theory of mind in children, emphasizing its crucial role in their social and cognitive growth. It outlines the core concepts of theory of mind, including beliefs, desires, and intentions, and explains how these concepts enable children to understand and predict others' behaviors. The essay traces the developmental stages from infancy through early childhood, highlighting the acquisition of essential skills like recognizing emotions, understanding perspectives, and grasping the concept of false beliefs. It also examines the impact of theory of mind on social interactions, conflict resolution, and overall social competency. Furthermore, the essay addresses how conditions like Autism Spectrum Disorders may affect the development of theory of mind and its implications on social functioning. Finally, it concludes by underscoring the importance of supporting children with challenges in this area to foster their integration and well-being in society.

Running head: DEVELOPMENT OF THEORY OF MIND IN CHILDREN
DEVELOPMENT OF THEORY OF MIND IN CHILDREN
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1DEVELOPMENT OF THEORY OF MIND IN CHILDREN
The theory of mind is a complex concept and, at the same time, an utterly simple notion,
which can elaborate the intricate process of thinking in individuals. The basic or core concepts of
theory of mind involves ideologies, beliefs, desires and intentions of a person, which serve as a
basis to understand why does an individual act in a certain way or to predict how would a person
react under specific circumstances (Rabkina et al., 2017). In this essay the overall development
of the social identity of the children are discussed with respect to their cognitive development.
Social situations can be navigated to by using a person’s beliefs, knowledge, experience,
emotions and their intentions.
Theory of mind is one of the most important social cognitions to be developed in early
childhood. Social cognition is the most basic thing that helps children to perceive things from
others’ view points and thus, enable them to get along with the people around them. Without
theory of mind developing in a child, it is almost impossible to see something from another
perspective. Theory of mind advocates that we should see ourselves as mental beings, and not
simply flesh and bones or existing in a physical space (Dufour, 2017). This theory says that each
human has her or his own mental state: they have their own feelings, emotions, desires, motives
and thoughts. Only by using theory of mind, can we explain our thoughts, behaviours and mental
states to others. Humans also interpret others’ behaviours and thoughts by listening to what they
talk about and observing how they behave (Schaafsma et al., 2015).
The development of theory of mind in children, from birth to the age of five, is well
researched and discussed extensively. By observing them in certain conditions, researches can
now tell how do children behave under experimental situations and then use this information to
predict how may they react to something or behave in natural conditions (Hawkins & Goodman,
2016). The development of the theory of mind can progress in a predictable order. During the

2DEVELOPMENT OF THEORY OF MIND IN CHILDREN
stages of infancy and early childhood, children develop the most basic skills, that would facilitate
in the development of mind later on in their lives. Some of these skills include: paying attention
to the people around them and copying their behaviour or actions, recognising the emotions of
others as well as the ability to describe those as they see them, establishing the idea to
themselves about the fact that they are different and have different likes or dislikes than the
others, understanding that human behaviour is motivated by their needs or desires,
comprehending the causality and consequences of actions or emotional portrayal, pretend-play
while impersonating someone else (Taylor & Carlson 1997).
The theory of mind emerges and starts to develop properly between the ages four and
five. This is the stage when the children properly start to understand the thoughts and feelings of
other people and this development happens in a proper order.
Understanding what is “wanting”: The children comprehend the fact that different people want
different things and they act as they do because they want to achieve or possess their desired
things.
Understanding the concept of “thinking”: Different people have different beliefs or views on
the same thing. However, the dissimilarity does not render any of the views to be false or wrong.
The actions of a person are based on the person’s ideas about what may happen.
Understanding the fact that “seeing leads to knowing”: This helps the children to understand
that they may lack knowledge on something or person, because they have not seen the thing or
the person (Rabkina et al., 2017). When a child has not seen a specific thing, they require extra
information on the same to properly understand about it or comprehend it functions.

3DEVELOPMENT OF THEORY OF MIND IN CHILDREN
Comprehending the idea of “false beliefs”: During this point of time, the children understand
that some people believe in things that not true. Also, they understand that people act according
to their beliefs and convictions and not always based on facts.
Understanding the aspect of “hidden beliefs”: People often do not portray exactly how they
feel. Rather, they supress their true emotions and project something completely different to
others.
When the children are around the age of 4, they start to greatly improve upon the tasks
the involve theory of mind. This ability gives them the understanding that some of the people
around them may be acting based on a belief that is false. The false-belief understanding helps
children of the ages between four and five to speculate more believable things about a thing or
event that they do not know about, much more than children who are around three years of age
(Ruffman et al., 2017). However, children with mental health issues such as ASD (Autism
Spectrum Disorders) take much more time to develop these cognitive skills than those without
the same. For those children, the average level of human skills or mind development would take
much longer to develop, or not develop at all. While, there may be a difference among the
children with autism and the ones with not, understanding the other’s beliefs can often become a
problem, even though understanding their intentions is more or less the same (Panero et al.,
2016). This may happen like so because, understanding a person’s intentions is a more basic skill
that develops earlier than the skill of understanding others’ emotions or beliefs.
Like every other cognitive skill, the theory of mind develops in a sequential pattern, that
is also predictable. Most of the researches of theory of mind show that the cognitive skills
develop the most between the ages four and five. However, a number of attributes that facilitate
in the development of the theory of mind start at early infancy.

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The two most notable stages that can be used to explain the evolution and development of
theory of mind are:
Engagement: During this stage, the children learn to engage themselves with the others around
them and also maintain a medium of communication by responding to the behaviour of those
who surround them (Panero et al., 2016). From birth to the first eight months of the lives of the
babies, they essentially mirror the emotions and the behaviours of their caregivers and this is one
of the earliest indicators of an effective development of theory of mind. From eight moths
onwards till the age of a year, children begin to attract attention towards them by their
behaviours and also use the same for their requests. By this, they also achieve to instigate social
interactions. During this period, children understand the consequences of their emotional
portrayal or behaviours on others and how may those be used for their own interests. By doing
so, children also accomplish to understand or interpret the emotional meaning of the people do
not know and predict, to some degree, as to how shall they react to certain incidents or
circumstances. Emotional traits such as anger, happiness or fear can be distinguished by the
children during this age.
Sense of self: Between the ages of eighteen months to four years, the children slowly begin to
distinguish themselves from others and create an identity of them, which is detached from the
others. They also develop their own likes and dislikes. Pretending and role-playing are also
developed during this age as well. An intrapersonal theory of mind evolves through these
pretending and the development of sense of self. At the age of 18 months, children begin to
understand that others’ likes and dislikes may vary from their own. They also understand that
people’s behaviours are generally aimed towards trying to achieve what they wish for. From two
years onwards, children recognize words such as “happy”, “angry” or “sad”. The children also

5DEVELOPMENT OF THEORY OF MIND IN CHILDREN
can recognize distress among other people and they try to console and comfort them as much as
they can (Frye, 2014). Children also develop the ability to distinguish between real and
imaginary and also establish the fact to themselves that people have knowledge on different
things and objects by seeing those. They learn that actions are determined by intensions and
begin to display conscious emotions such as feelings of embarrassment, shame, pride or guilt
(Saracho, 2014). They can more or less be able to comprehend different emotions and also
fathom the consequences of their actions and behaviours.
Irrespective of the age of a child or their language skills, false-believe understanding is
closely related to various aspects of a child’s social functioning. This also includes the child’s
ability of engaging in meaningful conversations, maintaining healthy relationships with other
members of the society or with friends, the ability to resolve conflicts and other social
competences (Saracho, 2014). By this aspect, children who are capable of false beliefs are more
advanced in being socially developed as well. Understanding other’s beliefs and emotions helps
to establish and develop social competency to the fullest and the children who have mental
health issues like autism, may lack severely in that sphere. Executive function skills, such as
inhibition, cognitive flexibility etc., are also related to theory of mind in a way that the pre-
schoolers who have better executive function skills are better at comprehending more
perspectives and keeping them in their minds (Frye, 2014). This can help them to distinguish
between how another person perceives something and what is the actual reality that exists.
First order theory of mind revolves around the understanding the emotions of another
person and reflecting upon what the other person is thinking or feeling. This generally emerges
in the children between the ages four and five who have typical developing patterns. The
understanding of various desires, the difference of the beliefs among different individuals, the

6DEVELOPMENT OF THEORY OF MIND IN CHILDREN
understanding that only seeing enhances believing and knowing all foster in this period of time.
Researches have shown that children with autism develop the first three stages of first order
theory of mind like every other child (Winter et al., 2017). However, the last two stages that have
been talked about before take much longer time to develop in those who have mental health
issues than those without.
The second order theory of mind involves anticipating and predicting how may a person
think or feel at certain situations, or, feeling what the other person is thinking about. Multiple
embedding are required for this capability to predict the feelings or actions of the others.
Understanding and comprehending lies, sarcasm and social implications. This understanding
level is developed during the ages of six and ten (Schneider, Schumann-Hengsteler & Sodian,
2014). There are arguments that say that theory of mind never actually ceases to develop, rather
it gradually evolves throughout the lives of every individual through constant exposure to newer
events and situations and gaining increasingly higher levels of experiences through them.
To conclude, it could be inferred that theory of mind develops in children through various
stages of their growth and each stage has different implications and impacts on the development
of the same in the children. Theory of mind is one of the most vital things to develop in the
children, that helps them to be more social and in some way, more sensitive as well. Those who
have problems in the development of theory of mind, must be extended help from the society so
that they are not left out or shunned to the borders of the society.

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References
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