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Understanding intention in normal development and in autism
Author(s) -
Phillips Wendy,
BaronCohen Simon,
Rutter Michael
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
british journal of developmental psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.062
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 2044-835X
pISSN - 0261-510X
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-835x.1998.tb00756.x
Subject(s) - autism , psychology , theory of mind , developmental psychology , test (biology) , action (physics) , cognition , unintended consequences , psychiatry , paleontology , physics , quantum mechanics , political science , law , biology
This study aimed to establish whether or not young children and young people with autism can understand the mental state of intention. Participants were exposed to personal experience of unintended outcomes, to test if they could distinguish intended vs. unintended actions. Recognizing accidental outcomes was more difficult for normal 4‐year‐olds than 5‐year‐olds, and more difficult for young people with autism, compared with comparison groups. Such findings suggest that the theory of mind deficit observed in people with autism is not restricted to understanding epistemic states, but also extends to understanding intention. The results are also compatible with an action‐monitoring deficit. Future research needs to test these two accounts against each other., 15 April 1996, 9 October 1997