#21 Theory of Mind—Still Meaningful Nearly 40 Years Later
Have you ever wondered why we can often guess what someone is thinking and feeling?
Thanks to a social inferencing skill called Theory of Mind, people can infer someone’s mental state in order to maintain social relationships and solve complex problems. Dr. G-Jürgen Hogrefe, our CEO and Chairman, conducted research at the University of Salzburg in Austria in the 1980s that measured when and how this, and other skills, developed in young children.
Today, psychologists use standardized assessments in line with Dr. Hogrefe’s research to differentially diagnose neurodevelopmental disorders (such as autism spectrum disorder). Our newly published Early Sociocognitive Battery (ESB) is one such example, as it measures foundational social communication skills in preschool children, including joint attention, social responsiveness, and symbolic comprehension.
