ABSTRACT

Over the last fifteen years, developmentalists, cognitive scientists, philosophers, educators and clinicians have considered the acquisition of a theory of mind - the capacity to predict and explain behavior on the basis of internal, subjective mental states - to be one of the crucial cognitive achievements of early childhood. This volume represents the first collection of work to address, empirically and conceptually, the topic of individual differences in theory of mind. It is also unique because it takes the reader beyond the preschool years, to explore theory of mind development in late childhood and adulthood.

chapter 1|13 pages

Introduction: Individual Differences in Theory of Mind

What Are We Investigating?

chapter 2|26 pages

Sometimes Necessary, Never Sufficient

False-Belief Understanding and Social Competence

chapter 3|28 pages

Bypassing Empathy

A Machiavellian Theory of Mind and Sneaky Power

chapter 5|23 pages

ToM Goes to School

Social Cognition and Social Values in Bullying

chapter 6|22 pages

Individual Differences in Theory of Mind

The Preschool Years and Beyond

chapter 7|28 pages

Did Cain Fail to Represent the Thoughts of Abel Before He Killed Him?

The Relationship Between Theory of Mind and Aggression

chapter 8|25 pages

The Social Face of Theory of Mind

The Development of Concepts of Emotion, Desire, Visual Perspective, and False Belief in Deaf and Hearing Children

chapter 11|29 pages

Theory of Mind and Social Dysfunction

Psychotic Solipsism Versus Autistic Asociality

chapter 12|34 pages

Theory of Mind in Autism and Schizophrenia

A Case of Over-optimistic Reverse Engineering

chapter 13|48 pages

Synthesis

Psychological Understanding and Social Skills