What is social cognition and theory of mind?
Humans are social animals and we spend a great deal of time in social relationships. As children develop, they gain a better understanding of peers and adults around them. They become aware that people can differ on what they believe, know, and want. Their values and goals can be different from our own. Some people call this “mindreading other people’s minds”. Scientists often call this kind of understanding social cognition or theory of mind. Adults and children use our understanding of social cognition everyday. As young as 18 months of age, infants look to a parent’s face for “advice” in situations, such as how should I feel about that big dog? They seem to look for information about what the parent is thinking about this situation – is it frightening or not? Later, at age 4, children can typically understand that people can have misunderstandings and false beliefs, as when mom thinks dad will be home after work, but he forgot to tell her that he had a doctor’s appointment. Or that
