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Neural Correlates of Children’s Theory of Mind Development
Author(s) -
Liu David,
Sabbagh Mark A.,
Gehring William J.,
Wellman Henry M.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01262.x
Subject(s) - psychology , theory of mind , prefrontal cortex , false belief , cognitive development , developmental psychology , cognitive psychology , cognition , neuroscience
Young children show significant changes in their mental‐state understanding as marked by their performance on false‐belief tasks. This study provides evidence for activity in the prefrontal cortex associated with the development of this ability. Event‐related brain potentials (ERPs) were recorded as adults ( N = 24) and 4‐, 5‐, and 6‐year‐old children ( N = 44) reasoned about reality and the beliefs of characters in animated vignettes. In adults, a late slow wave (LSW), with a left‐frontal scalp distribution, was associated with reasoning about beliefs. This LSW was also observed for children who could correctly reason about the characters’ beliefs but not in children who failed false‐belief questions. These findings have several implications, including support for the critical role of the prefrontal cortex for theory of mind development.