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Cognition and Development

The development of social cognition

  • 6 things to know
  • Paper 3

Overview

Selman's levels of perspective-taking, theory of mind and the Sally-Anne task, and what that research suggested about autism.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Process

Outline Selman's levels of perspective-taking.

Key term

Define theory of mind.

Study

Describe the Sally-Anne task.

Who and when

Who ran the Sally-Anne study, and what did it show about autism?

Key term

What are mirror neurons and where were they first found?

Evaluation

Evaluate the claim that mirror neurons underpin social cognition.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    How many hierarchical levels of perspective-taking did Selman propose, and what age range do they span?

    Model answer

    Five hierarchical levels, developing from childhood to adulthood.

  2. 2

    What characterises Level 0 (Undifferentiated perspective-taking) in Selman's model?

    Model answer

    Children recognise that self and others can have different thoughts and feelings but frequently confuse the two. This occurs at ages 3-6.

  3. 3

    At what age range does Selman's Level 1 (Social-informational perspective-taking) typically occur, and what does the child understand?

    Model answer

    Ages 6-8; children understand that different perspectives may result from people having access to different information.

  4. 4

    What ability defines Level 2 (Self-reflective perspective-taking) in Selman's model?

    Model answer

    Children can mentally step into another person's shoes and view their own thoughts and feelings from that person's perspective. This occurs at ages 8-10.

  5. 5

    Explain what a child at Level 3 (Mutual perspective-taking) can do that a child at Level 2 cannot.

    Model answer

    At Level 3 (ages 10-12), children can step outside a two-person interaction and view it from a third-party perspective, rather than just viewing themselves from another's perspective.

  6. 6

    What additional understanding emerges at Level 4 (Societal perspective-taking) in Selman's model?

    Model answer

    Adolescents (age 12+) understand that third-party perspectives are influenced by broader social, cultural and moral values.

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