ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book presents a comprehensive and up-to-date review of research into the development of what is widely known as “theory of mind”. It describes a uniquely human application of an understanding of mind falls within the province of verbal communication. The book discusses the child’s conception of mind has been compared to a theory for two primary reasons. It proposes an alternative to the view that children possess an informal theory of what the mind is. The book argues that people with autism could be seriously lacking in an understanding of mind. It offers a speculative attempt to make further links between communication and understanding mind. The book details evidence that points to the character of the human understanding of mind. It explores various theories that compete to interpret the evidence and seek to explain how development progresses.
