In the literature, “Theory of Mind” is defined as the ability to make sense of others' mental states (thoughts, beliefs, wishes, intentions, etc.), to use this information to interpret what they will say, to intuit how they will behave, and to predict what they will do next. When young children begin to speak, they describe mental states as actions. From 18-30 months of age, normal children refer to a range of mental states such as: emotions, wishes, beliefs, thoughts, dreams, tricks.
Experimental studies show that children have well-developed ToM skills by the age of 3-4 years. Recent debates have questioned whether it is appropriate to call this kind of understanding a “theory”. Therefore, ToM is sometimes referred to as “mind reading”.
A ToM battery is a large-scale battery consisting of a series of neurocognitive tasks in which the individual stages of ToM are assessed. The most commonly used ToM tests are the M&M test, the Sally_Ann test and the ice cream truck test.
