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Understanding of mind after 7 years of age: Mindreading in ambiguous situations

Abstract

This study has aimed to test in what aspect the child's understanding of mind develops beyond the age of 7. Three types of ToM abilities have been tested. These include; the ability to interpret others’ ambiguous social behaviors by reading their mental states, the ability to uncover the hidden meaning of a figurative statement such as irony, and the ability to understand that when a person says a "faux pas" it is due to a mistaken belief rather than from malicious intent. Each of the twenty subjects in the five age groups (7-, 9-, 11-, 13-, and adults) have participated in this study. The results demonstrate progressive attainment of the various ToM abilities as follows: children understand non-literal statements at age 7, ambiguous social behavior at age 9, and faux pas at 13 years of age.

keywords
Submission Date
2007-01-14
Revised Date
2007-02-17
Accepted Date
2007-02-18

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