Psychology
Validation of Self-Paced Slide Shows as an Implicit Measure of Theory of Mind
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Subject Area
Psychology
Start Date
11-4-2014 10:15 AM
End Date
11-4-2014 12:00 PM
Sponsor
Neil Schmitzer-Torbert (Wabash College)
Description
In the current study we attempted to validate a new implicit measure of theory of mind: the self-paced slide show. Many children may possess the ability to perform theory of mind tasks, but may lack the performance abilities to demonstrate their skills to others. The self-paced slide show allows children to view classic false belief tasks at their own pace and lowers the performance ability needed to show theory of mind. We assessed implicit ability with the measurement of dwell times to slide shows depicting the events of classic false belief tasks. The dwell times of the children moving through the slide shows were measured; children with a theory of mind should have increased dwell times to the slides depicting events relevant to mental states, and in particular to those violating their expectations regarding how actors ought to behave. We predicted that children without a theory of mind should move through the slide shows and have equal dwell times on all slides even when a character breaks the expected beliefs. We also measured theory of mind with a battery of classic false belief tasks. We will discuss the dwell times of children who passed the false belief batteries compared to the children who failed the false belief battery.
Validation of Self-Paced Slide Shows as an Implicit Measure of Theory of Mind
Indianapolis, IN
In the current study we attempted to validate a new implicit measure of theory of mind: the self-paced slide show. Many children may possess the ability to perform theory of mind tasks, but may lack the performance abilities to demonstrate their skills to others. The self-paced slide show allows children to view classic false belief tasks at their own pace and lowers the performance ability needed to show theory of mind. We assessed implicit ability with the measurement of dwell times to slide shows depicting the events of classic false belief tasks. The dwell times of the children moving through the slide shows were measured; children with a theory of mind should have increased dwell times to the slides depicting events relevant to mental states, and in particular to those violating their expectations regarding how actors ought to behave. We predicted that children without a theory of mind should move through the slide shows and have equal dwell times on all slides even when a character breaks the expected beliefs. We also measured theory of mind with a battery of classic false belief tasks. We will discuss the dwell times of children who passed the false belief batteries compared to the children who failed the false belief battery.