"In psychology, theory of mind refers to the capacity to understand other people by ascribing mental states to them."
The ability to attribute mental states to oneself and others, and to understand that others have beliefs, desires, intentions, and emotions that may differ from one's own.
Developmental psychology: The study of how children develop the ability to understand the thoughts, emotions and beliefs of other people.
Neuropsychology: The study of how the brain supports cognitive processes in general and Theory of mind in particular.
Social cognition: The study of how people create and share meaning in social interactions.
Philosophy of mind: The study of the nature of consciousness, perception, cognition and mental representation.
Evolutionary psychology: The study of how adaptive traits and behaviors in human ancestors have evolved through natural selection.
Linguistics: The study of language and its use in communication.
Anthropology: The study of human cultures, societies, and their interactions with the environment.
Psychology of empathy: The study of how people understand and respond to the emotions of others.
Psychoanalytic theories: The study of how unconscious desires, motives, and conflicts shape behavior.
Critical thinking: The study of how we can evaluate and analyze claims and arguments using logical principles and evidence.
Ethnography: The study of specific cultural groups and their unique ways of understanding and interpreting the world.
Comparative psychology: The study of animal behavior and cognition that sheds light on human thought processes.
Social neuroscience: The study of how the brain processes social information and produces social behaviors.
Cognitive linguistics: The study of how language affects and reflects the way we think.
Cultural psychology: The study of how cultural context shapes cognition and social interactions.
First-order Theory of Mind: This refers to the ability to understand that others have beliefs, desires, and intentions different from our own.
Second-order Theory of Mind: This refers to the ability to understand that others have beliefs about beliefs, desires, and intentions different from our own.
Third-order and higher-order Theory of Mind: This refers to the ability to understand that others have beliefs about what others might believe, desire or intend, and so on.
Minimal Theory of Mind: This refers to the ability to understand that others have desires and goals and can interact with the world in ways that satisfy those desires.
Extended Theory of Mind: This refers to the ability to understand that others have beliefs and desires that may differ from our own due to culture, language or other factors.
Implicit Theory of Mind: This refers to the ability to understand and use mental state terms such as "thinking," "believing," and "wanting" without necessarily being conscious of doing so.
Peripheral Theory of Mind: This refers to the ability to understand the emotions and intentions of others through their body language, vocal intonation, and other non-verbal communication cues.
Simulation Theory of Mind: This refers to the ability to mentally simulate the thoughts, emotions, and intentions of others in order to predict their behavior and respond accordingly.
Theory theory of mind: This refers to the idea that we form hypotheses about the mental states of others based on our own experiences and knowledge, rather than having an innate capacity to understand others' mental states.
"A theory of mind includes the knowledge that others' beliefs, desires, intentions, emotions, and thoughts may be different from one's own."
"Possessing a functional theory of mind is considered crucial for success in everyday human social interactions."
"People utilize a theory of mind when analyzing, judging, and inferring others' behaviors."
"The discovery and development of theory of mind primarily came from studies done with animals and infants."
"Factors including drug and alcohol consumption, language development, cognitive delays, age, and culture can affect a person's capacity to display theory of mind."
"Having a theory of mind is similar to but not identical with having the capacity for empathy or sympathy."
"It has been proposed that deficits in theory of mind can occur in people with autism, anorexia nervosa, schizophrenia, dysphoria, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, cocaine addiction, and brain damage caused by alcohol's neurotoxicity."
"Neuroimaging shows that the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), the precuneus, and the amygdala are associated with theory of mind tasks."
"Patients with frontal lobe or temporoparietal junction lesions find some theory of mind tasks difficult."
"One's theory of mind develops in childhood as the prefrontal cortex develops."
"It has been argued that children in a culture of collectivism develop knowledge access earlier and understand diverse beliefs later than Western children in a culture of individualism."
"Neuroimaging shows that the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)...is associated with theory of mind tasks."
"The posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS)... is associated with theory of mind tasks."
"Brain damage caused by alcohol's neurotoxicity [can] affect a person's capacity to display theory of mind."
"The discovery and development of theory of mind primarily came from studies done with animals and infants."
"It has been proposed that deficits in theory of mind can occur in people with...anorexia nervosa."
"A theory of mind includes the knowledge that others' beliefs, desires, intentions, emotions, and thoughts may be different from one's own."
"Factors including...cognitive delays...can affect a person's capacity to display theory of mind."
"The amygdala... is associated with theory of mind tasks."