Long, Emily L;
Catmur, Caroline;
Bird, Geoffrey;
(2025)
The Theory of Mind Hypothesis of Autism: A Critical Evaluation of the Status Quo.
Psychological Review
10.1037/rev0000532.
(In press).
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Abstract
The theory of mind (ToM) hypothesis of autism is the idea that difficulties inferring the mental states of others may explain social communication difficulties in autism. In the present article, we critically evaluate existing theoretical accounts, concluding that none provides a sufficient explanation of ToM in autism. We then evaluate existing tests of ToM, identifying problems that limit the validity of the conclusions that may be drawn from them. Finally, as an example of how the identified issues may be resolved, we describe work developing a psychological account of ToM (the Mind-space framework) and a new test of ToM accuracy (the Interview Task).
Type: | Article |
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Title: | The Theory of Mind Hypothesis of Autism: A Critical Evaluation of the Status Quo |
Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
DOI: | 10.1037/rev0000532 |
Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000532 |
Language: | English |
Additional information: | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). This license permits copying and redistributing the work in any medium or format, as well as adapting the material for any purpose, even commercially. |
Keywords: | Theory of mind, mentalizing, autism, neurodiversity, mind space |
UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Psychology and Human Development |
URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10203828 |
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