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Publication Detail
Can autistic children predict behavior by social stereotypes?
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Publication Type:Journal article
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Publication Sub Type:Article
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Authors:Hirschfeld L, Bartmess E, White S, Frith U
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Publication date:19/06/2007
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Pagination:R451, R452
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Journal:Current Biology
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Volume:17
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Issue:12
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Print ISSN:0960-9822
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Notes:Imported via OAI, 7:29:00 31st Jan 2008
Abstract
Explaining and predicting
behavior involves understanding
others in terms of their mental
states ? the so-called Theory of
Mind (ToM). It also involves the
capacity to understand others
in terms of culturally transmitted
information about group
membership, for example, which
social groups exist in one?s culture
and which stereotypes adhere
to these groups. This capacity
typically emerges between 3
and 5 years of age, just like ToM
understanding [1,2]. Are the
cognitive capacities underlying
ToM and stereotypes the same
or do they provide independent
means of understanding and
predicting the actions of others?
Children with autism have a
profound inability to engage in
everyday social interaction, as
well as impairments in verbal and
nonverbal communication, which
have been attributed to a severe
delay in ToM development. If
the use of stereotypes and mental
states were part and parcel of
the same underlying cognitive
process, then autistic children
should have similar difficulties
with both. We report here that
8-year-old autistic children with
a mental age of 7, who fail ToM
tasks, nevertheless know and
use gender and race stereotypes
just like normal children. This
provides a powerful argument
for the assumption of distinct
processes in social reasoning(see Supplemental data).
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