Edited by Janet Wilde Astington and Jodie A. Baird
"Theory of mind" is the phrase researchers use to refer to children's understanding of people as mental beings, who have beliefs, desires, emotions, and intentions, and whose actions and interactions can be interpreted and explained by taking account of these mental states. The gradual
development of children's theory of mind, particularly during the early years, is by now well described in the research literature. What is lacking, however, is a decisive explanation of how children acquire this understanding. Recent research has shown strong relations between children's linguistic
abilities and their theory of mind. Yet exactly what role these abilities play is controversial and uncertain. The purpose of this book is to provide a forum for the leading scholars in the field to explore thoroughly the role of language in the development of the theory of mind. This volume will
appeal to students and researchers in developmental and cognitive psychology.
Chapter 1. Janet Wilde Astington & Jodie A. Baird: Why language matters: Introduction to the volume
Chapter 2. Katherine Nelson: Language pathways into the community of minds
Chapter 3. Judy Dunn and Marcia Brophy: Communication, relationships, and individual differences in children's
understanding of mind
Chapter 4. Paul L. Harris: Conversation, pretense and theory of mind
Chapter 5. Danielle K. O'Neill: Talking about "new" information: The given/new distinction and children's developing theory of mind
Chapter 6. Derek E. Montgomery: The developmental origins of
meaning for mental terms
Chapter 7. Dare Baldwin & Megan Saylor: Language promotes structural alignment in the acquisition of mentalistic concepts
Chapter 8. Sophie Jaques & Philip David Zelazo: Language and the development of cognitive flexibility
Chapter 9. Janet Wilde:
Representational development and false-belief understanding
Chapter 10. Jill G. de Villiers: Can language acquisition give children a point of view?
Chapter 11. Josef Perner, Petra Zauner, & Manuel Sprung: What does "that" have to do with point of view? Conflicting desires and "want" in
German.
Chapter 12. Heidemarie Lohmann, Michael Tommasello, and Sonja Meyer: Linguistic communication and social understanding
Chapter 13. Peter A. de Villiers: The role of language in theory-of-mind development: What deaf children tell us.
Chapter 14. Helen Tager-Flusberg and Robert M.
Joseph: How language facilitates the acquisition of false-belief understanding in children with autism
Chapter 15. Claire Hughes: Genetic and environmental influences on individual differences in language and theory of mind: Common or distinct?
There are no Instructor/Student Resources available at this time.
Janet Wilde Astington is in the Department of Human Development and Applied Psychology, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. Jodie A. Baird in in the Department of Psychology, Villanova University.
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