Figuring out the social ropes is difficult for any child, but for those with autism and Asperger’s, the challenge is even greater. Theory of Mind (ToM) is our ability to understand our mental states and that of others. Its impairment in children with autism and Asperger’s accounts for the difficulty that they have in social interactions. Michelle Tine, an assistant professor at Dartmouth College, conducted a study in 2011 to address the following questions: whether ToM does differentiate into these two components, what the difference is between the development of the Social and Intrapersonal parts, and how this differs in children with autism versus with Asperger’s. Her paper suggests that ToM differentiates into Intrapersonal and Social components, and their development is significantly different in children with autism versus children with Asperger’s.
In this study, 73 subjects of mean age 10.4 years did four tasks to measure their ToM. Their intelligence was first measured via a language test to ensure that any recorded weaknesses in ToM were not a function of developmental immaturity. Participants were asked questions that tested their grasp of what others and what they themselves felt, testing their Social and Intrapersonal components of ToM. A large gap in the scores for each category would suggest that Social and Intrapersonal ToM indeed developed differently, while similar scores would support the integrated view of ToM.
The four tasks utilized story vignette, unexpected contents, unexpected identity, and color filters, respectively. In the first task, the participants were read a story in which the character feels a certain emotion but depicts another, and then were asked questions such as “How does Diana really feel when ___? How does Diana try to look on her face?” and then “How do you really feel when ___? How do you try to look on your face?”
In the unexpected contents scenario, M&Ms were stored in a box of toothpaste or crayons in a box of band-aids. Next, in the unexpected identity task, participants were presented with a gray sponge made to resemble a rock. They were then allowed to touch it and discover its true identity. In both of these tasks, the participants were asked about what they themselves and others would have expected and what emotions, such as sadness, surprise, and happiness, they would have felt through the process.
Finally, in the color filters task, a color filter was placed over an object so that only a child saw the illusion. The experimenter then asked the child about what they saw, what the color of the object truly was, and what the color would appear to the experimenter.
The mean proportion of all correct responses for Social and Intrapersonal ToM was 57 and 77%, respectively, demonstrating that the development of the two are markedly different in children with autism and Asperger’s. This further suggests that in children without the disorder, the two ToMs similarly do not develop as a single entity, as the integrated model of ToM states. In addition, the gap between the scores was greater in children with autism than with Asperger’s, which corresponds to Asperger’s less severe symptoms and lack of language delay.
The functional multilinear socialization model (FMS) of ToM differentiation accounts for the discrepancy between the two groups. The FMS model asserts that Social and Intrapersonal ToM each develop through trial and error as those components of the mind are used more and more frequently. The difference in the nature of the disorders may lead to different exposure to development needed for the two ToM’s, and as autistic children suffer from a greater language barrier than children with Asperger’s, the development of their Social ToM is bound in a positive feedback loop of neglect. The high correlation between language ability, as derived from the prior language test, also supports this theory.
For better understanding of ToM, studies could be conducted on other children of the same age group in order to determine the relative level of impairment that children with autism and Asperger’s experience. Children with disorders such as ADHD, schizophrenia, and narcissistic-personality disorder could be tested, along with children without disorders, to analyze how the social implications of each disorder influence the development of Social and Intrapersonal ToM. These future findings could lead to better understanding of the disorders and help us develop treatments for them.