Theory of Mind

Posted: August 25th, 2021

Theory of Mind

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Theory of Mind

When children are below the age of five years, they undergo tremendous growth and development, especially in their metacognitive, social, and emotional realms. Social cognition, which is also referred to as emotional intelligence, enables children to understand their own personality and that of others, and this is the substance of the theory of mind. Notably, in social cognition, the development of the theory of mind is the most fundamental.

The meaning and scope of this social cognition concept explain how children develop a sense of oneself. To get along with other people, children must understand their interests, desires, emotions, and beliefs. Besides, they must be able to attribute the same mental states to others. This entails seeing things in their own outlook. The theory of mind is the foundation of this development, and it has been described as an individual’s understanding of other people as having unique mental states, for example, emotions, desires, and interests.For children to speak their minds and say what they feel and believe or what they think of others, the theory of mind must have developed adequately. If a child manages to get along his caregivers easily, it means that the degree of development of the theory of mind is impressive.

As emphasized above, social cognition, especially the development of the theory of mind, tells whether a child is growing or not. In the selected YouTube video, a clear demonstration of this concept and how environmental factors influences it are well explained. While examining the mind of a three-year-old boy, the lady inquires what could be in the box. Since it is a juice can, the boy says it is juice (Holm, 2010). This is a demonstration that the child has developed the theory of mind and he can make judgments.

References

Holm, A. (2010, January 12). Theory of mind [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=TJkB6nrk1CA