theory of mind

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the cognitive capacity to attribute independent mental states — beliefs, desires, intentions, emotions, and knowledge — to oneself and others, and to understand that other people's mental states may differ from one's own; typically assessed using false-belief tasks such as the Sally-Anne test, theory of mind is generally considered to emerge between ages three and five in neurotypical children; deficits in theory of mind are associated with autism spectrum disorder and have been implicated in difficulties with social communication; the capacity is foundational to empathy, deception, persuasion, collaboration, and the full range of human social intelligence