Have you heard of 鈥榯heory of mind鈥? Sounds pretty deep but it鈥檚 actually very, very simple. It鈥檚 basically the understanding that other people know different things to you.
You might have noticed that it鈥檚 not a skill young toddlers possess!
For instance, if a three year old put your phone under a cushion when you weren鈥檛 looking, they would think you knew it was there.
Why? Because they know it鈥檚 there. But luckily, at around 4, children start to develop 鈥榯heory of mind鈥 and understand that your experience is different from their own.
Amazingly, this change can be measured in children鈥檚 brains. Researchers recorded the brain activity of 4 to 6-year-old children while solving a puzzle.
In the puzzle, a cartoon character sees an animal hide in a box. The character then turns their back and the animal moves to a second box.
Children who understood that the character wouldn't know the animal had moved, showed increased activity in the part of the brain that deals with understanding of how others think.
You can encourage your little one to develop theory of mind, just by talking to them about what other people might feel and think. It鈥檚 really that easy!
'Theory of Mind' is the understanding that other people know different things to you鈥 but when does your child learn this?
Until they gain Theory of Mind themselves, they might assume you're a mind reader - knowing everything they do!
Image caption, 'Theory of mind' is basically the understanding that other people know different things to you. You may have noticed that toddlers don't often have this knowledge - thinking you know all the things that they know.
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