The development of theory of mind in deaf children

P A Russell, J A Hosie, C Gray, C Scott, N Hunter, J S Banks, M C Macaulay

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

109 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Deaf children aged 4 to 16 years were given a false-belief test of theory of mind. Although the children experienced difficulty with the test, relative to hearing children, confirming a report by Peterson and Siegal (1995), performance was age-related, with a significantly higher proportion of 13- to 16-year-olds passing the test. It was concluded that deaf children raised in a spoken language environment show a developmental delay in theory of mind acquisition. This delay is consistent with the assumption that their early opportunities for learning about mental states are relatively restricted and that the normal development of theory of mind is dependent upon such opportunities.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)903-910
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Volume39
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 1998

Keywords

  • adolescent
  • child
  • child, preschool
  • cognition
  • deafness
  • female
  • humans
  • male
  • psychological theory
  • social perception

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