Theory of Mind
Theory of Mind and ASD
Description
- History
- Theory
The Theory of Mind deals with the development of a person's ability to analyze and interpret the intentions of others.These abilities are impaired in people with ASD and are central to social perception. The amygdala, the striatum, the superior temporal suclcus and the orbitofrontal cortex have been theorized to play a major part in the development of social abilities. It has been proposed that the amygdala, striatum, and orbitofrontal cortex link sensory representations of stimuli to their motivational value while the superior temporal sulcus is involved in detailed perceptual processing.
The superior temporal sulcus(STS) is activated more strongly when the person perceives a meaningful hand movement than non-meaningful ones, which suggest that the STS also analyzes how socially meaningful the movement is. Furthermore, activity in the STS is enhanced when subjects watch goal-directed behavior. These neuroimaging result are consistent with the hypothesis that Joint Attention is facilitated by networks involving the STS.
