Theory of mind test for kids, what can you come up with?

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Deinonychus
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31 May 2011, 9:51 am

I probably have too much time on my hands, but have been doing a little research on AS. Came across some diagnostics (can't copy and paste the really interesting one for adults or I would post it), but looked at this one
http://www.asperger-advice.com/sally-and-anne.html that I had seen before and thought "how stupid".
I looked at it, knew what the "right" answer should be, but thought (since the posting about tests/ambiguity) that there are questions to be answered before one can say where Sally will look:
How far away did Sally go? (could she have heard Anne taking the ball?)
How well does Sally know Anne? (is there a prior history of Anne swiping things that Sally put in her basket?)
Since Sally left the room and came back, she might be thinking "Anne took the ball" so she might look in the box first, if she is accustomed to others taking her things.
Whose ball was it to start with? If it in fact was Anne's ball then Sally might expect Anne to have moved it.

Just for fun :lol:

Let's see how far this goes.



League_Girl
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31 May 2011, 1:48 pm

backagain wrote:
I probably have too much time on my hands, but have been doing a little research on AS. Came across some diagnostics (can't copy and paste the really interesting one for adults or I would post it), but looked at this one
http://www.asperger-advice.com/sally-and-anne.html that I had seen before and thought "how stupid".
I looked at it, knew what the "right" answer should be, but thought (since the posting about tests/ambiguity) that there are questions to be answered before one can say where Sally will look:
How far away did Sally go? (could she have heard Anne taking the ball?)
How well does Sally know Anne? (is there a prior history of Anne swiping things that Sally put in her basket?)
Since Sally left the room and came back, she might be thinking "Anne took the ball" so she might look in the box first, if she is accustomed to others taking her things.
Whose ball was it to start with? If it in fact was Anne's ball then Sally might expect Anne to have moved it.

Just for fun :lol:

Let's see how far this goes.



I think she left the room because in the next picture, Sally isn't there and moving the ball from basket to box hardly makes a sound.
I have no idea.
Neah, she wouldn't know Ann took the ball until she looks in the basket first and sees it missing.
I would assume it was Sally's since the story doesn't say anything about it being Ann's.

I think it is a stupid test because it doesn't really test TOM. That test will only work on young aspie children but not teens and adult aspies even though few of them fail it too. Without thinking I can say box but I know it's basket.



RudolfsDad
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31 May 2011, 2:01 pm

What is interesting is that, as a NT, I completely missed the fact that there are ambiguities in the question. Since you brought it up, though, I can think of quite a few:

What if Sally simply forgets where she left the ball? In that case, who knows where she will first look? She might even have an incorrect memory of leaving the ball in the box.

What if Sally sees a mischievious look on Anne's face? In that case, she might infer that Anne moved the ball.

Many people with Asperger syndrome have an excellent eye for visual detail. In the third picture from the top, a ball-shaped bulge can clearly be seen in the blanket. After Sally comes back, the ball-shaped bulge is gone, which shows that the ball has been moved. Thus, if Sally has AS, I might well predict that she would get the correct answer through simple observation.

It would be odd for a typical young girl to just passively sit next to the basket and box without doing anything. The ball is the only toy in the room. Therefore, Sally might predict that Anne would play with the ball because there is nothing else interesting to do in that room. In the final picture, Anne is gone. It would not be at all unreasonable to guess that she took the ball and went somewhere to play with it and, therefore, the ball might not be in either basket.



ForestRose
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31 May 2011, 2:15 pm

This is definitely interesting. I knew the "right" answer before looking which is the most likely answer since they are only children, but your point is definitely interesting. It's hard to think of things which haven't yet been brought up, though! Mine might end up sounding quite silly.

Did somebody see Anne move the ball and go to tell Sally?

Was Sally trying to perform a magic trick to move the ball from the basket to the box? (I know, I know :P )

Did Anne mischievously tell Sally that she had moved the ball but that it was in that room, but refuse to tell her where?

Did Sally have another ball in the box?

Were the girls playing a game, part of which was for Sally to go away while Anne hid the ball?