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Clinical and Research Implications of an Investigation into Theory of Mind (TOM) Task Performance in Children and Adults with Non‐specific Intellectual Disabilities
Author(s) -
Jervis Nicola,
Baker Martyn
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.056
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1468-3148
pISSN - 1360-2322
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-3148.2004.00172.x
Subject(s) - psychology , theory of mind , intellectual disability , developmental psychology , task (project management) , mental age , vocabulary , population , scale (ratio) , intelligence quotient , cognition , psychiatry , medicine , linguistics , philosophy , physics , management , environmental health , quantum mechanics , economics
Background Theory of Mind (TOM) has rarely been studied in people with intellectual disabilities. Wherever it has been studied, differing results have been found. These may be attributed to a variety of factors (e.g. the different chronological ages of samples). The validity of relating TOM performance to social behaviour has also been questioned in this population. The aim of this study was to compare TOM scores with chronological age and social ability in an attempt to contribute to current debate. Methods Twenty children were matched individually with 20 adults, all with non‐specific intellectual disabilities. The British Picture Vocabulary Scale, Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices and four TOM tasks were administered to the participants. Their carers were then given various sociability measures to complete. Results The children achieved significantly higher TOM scores than did the adults. TOM and social ability were significantly positively correlated for the children, but not for the adults. These results are discussed in terms of the different social experiences of adults and children with intellectual disabilities. Conclusions Longitudinal research in this area is needed to clarify the present findings. If confirmed, the suitability of some TOM tasks used may be questionable, and there are clear implications for staff and client training.