Development of a Theory of Mind in Blind Children - Article Example

A Critical Review of "Factors influencing the development of a theory of mind in blind children". SUMMARY This research article attempts to provide clear visualizations of the factors influencing the theory of mind in blind children. A step by step procedure is applied to meet the criteria of experimentation and data gathering. The study revolves around the findings taken from actual observations and experimentations conducted to blind children with different bracket ages, with the intent to implement a comparative study. About 23 children participated in the research, with ages ranging from 5 to 12 years old. The research is designed in different experimentation procedures, such that will test the respondents’ response based on different age groups. The experimentation and data gathering are sets of test that includes four false belief tests and standard test of Level 2 visual perspective-taking. Eventually, all the findings and results of every test are recorded and compared in order to demonstrate the performance of every participant in the procedures applied. REVIEW I. Background and Methodology This research has been done within the context of previously conducted studies, as to prove the validity of former studies conducted, or at least to make additional information that will provide deeper and broader understanding of the factors influencing the development of the theory of the mind in blind children. Every factors related in the development of the theory of the mind in blind children has been diligently observed as how it affects the mental activity of visually impaired and blind children. As prior researches shows, this recent study attempts to make a relevant discussion to former researches conducted with regards to underlying explanations about the development of the theory of the mind among blind children. Blind children as expected, compared with those who are not visually impaired may demonstrate mind development that is not similar to those children born with normal visual ability. It is regarded that the mind of a person is essential in terms of his social life, the way he perceive things and the manner by which he will communicate with the members of the society or to the immediate surroundings. The real world problem that this article is trying to establish is that mind development among blind children is different from those visually normal children. As it is being related to prior research, previous research samples, there are speculations from previous researches which concludes that severe blindness may limit children’s ability to cope with activities that helps the growth of the theory of mind in blind children. This has drove researchers to come up with the conclusion that being visually incapable does not imply that these types of children will be deficient of understanding concept of false belief. On the other hand, this will only delay their capability to understand the concept but not to the extent of being unknowledgeable (Mc Alpine and Moore, 1995). In order to get the correct information and evaluation, 23 pupils are selected in a blind attached primary school in Brisbane, Australia. Respondents are of similar conditions with regards to visual impairment. Their cases have leaded these pupils to go in special school for the blind. Their cases as described: 10 totally blind children, either having no vision or only those who can partially perceive light and can only read through Braille, 13 children are legally blind, having severe visual impairments with sharpness of vision from 20/160 to 20/680 in one of their eyes. These following samples can read print and use Braille with the aid of special lenses. The bases of sampling are those children who have no serious mental problems or intellectual disability with their level of intelligence that meets up with the school requirement. After the sampling, experimentation and data gathering has been administered to the samples. The procedural tasks include two tasks of eggs and milk (wherein participants will be asked to guess what is inside the box), narrative (a change location test with series of false belief question, coin and visual perspective-taking. The first one being conducted is the false belief test called eggs and milk. Both this activities will let the participant guess what is inside the box, then open it to find out what is inside then series of false belief question will be asked. The narrative is a changed location test wherein false belief test is done by simply stating an oral story wherein the possible change of location of an object occurs. After the narrative the respondent will be asked with false belief question to where an object has been placed. The one that uses the coin is also a false belief test wherein respondent will answer questions regarding the location of the coin. The child was presented with a basket, a box, and a small leather coin purse and made him feel the location of the coin that is placed in the basket. Then the experimenter will get the coin from the child and put it in the box. He will afterwards leave the room. After that the other experimenter will help the child to open the box, get the coin from it and let the child put it in the purse. After that series of question will be asked to where the location of the coin is. This is to find out if their visual impairment affects the way they perceive the location of things. This is to test if confusion happens based on their answers to false belief questions. Visual perspective taking test is conducted by presenting a toy puppy on the respondents and a shoe. This method is done to determine as to whether the respondents can identify key features that can be found in the objects (such as tails, eyes). Two experimenters will situate themselves into different location. The respondent is informed with it. Then the respondent will let feel both the toy puppy and the shoe. After that, they will be given the series of false belief question, like, “put the puppy now in table so that experimenter number one will see the tail better”. II. Results and Discussions Analysis of the study shows that about the majority of six year old children failed the false belief tests. However, as observed, performance improved with age, with relatively difficulties in performance with those children who have not experienced more tasks. Increase in age significantly showed gains in false belief understanding, and this finding can also be observed even to those totally blind or severely visually impaired children. The whole development of the research study shows significant discoveries about the development of the theory of the mind among blind children. With respect to gender, analyses revealed that there are no differences in performance in understanding false belief tasks both to males and females. Children with ages eleven years under, according to tests failed more in false belief tests than those twelve years old respondents (See Appendix, Table 1.) Another essential finding has been observed with regards to perceptually misleading tests like the change of location of objects and the misleading appearances of the containers tests. It appears that whenever misleading object is being used during the experimentation, the mere tasks does not created any problem with blind children in terms of perceiving the object than that is being observed in change location tests The research lead into data that shows that the hypothesis demonstrating that blind children have problems about perceptually misleading stimuli is invalid or not true. Blind children are not ‘selectively advantaged’ as the research shows by the theory-of-mind tests that includes perceptually misleading procedures and experimentations (See Appendix, Table 2). As observed in the experiments, the development of the mind theory in blind children increases and improve in conjunction with the ages. It has a significant contribution to false belief understanding among the respondents. CRITICAL EVALUATION The methodology applied in this research in terms of understanding the development of theory of mind in blind children is prepared in connection with the previous studies conducted by previous researchers. Data gathering and approach has been made more sophisticated in order to check and note the previously collected data. This present study confirmed not the former findings stated by former researchers claiming that, “blind children are seriously delayed in developing concepts of visual perspective taking.” (Flavell, 1978). The probable reason for this discrepancy is because of the methodological side. It is being described that earlier studies tested very small samples of blind children with procedures having ranges of stimuli that is difficult to identify through touch alone even for normally sighted adults. It is more often in identifying the back, front and side of objects (the objects used before are toy cars trucks, dolls). Objects used are too difficult to be identified with touch alone, thus resulted to former findings that blind children are of delayed perceptual capability. With the present findings, it is discovered that participants’ capacities in previous researches has been underestimated by because of the stimulus that are difficult to understand. Thus, quantitatively speaking, the concept about perspective-taking test among blind and visually impaired children has been carefully planned thus that results to more generalize conclusion that represents development of mind theory in blind children in general. Comparison and collection of data is also well planned. The mere fact that more respondents and factors were considered offers broader understanding of the underlying factors thar results to the discrepancy of the results from previous study to the study conducted in this research. Samples has been carefully planned as well as the procedures and objects that will be used such the gives more accurate conclusions than the previous ones. Those problems, like the ambiguity of stimulus, has been also checked before the experimentation, thus former miscalculations and biases to underestimate the ability of participants will be avoided. In general this study opens the gate for better understanding in the development of theory of mind in visually impaired children. This gives more understanding about the perceptual capability among blind children, such that will help people to develop activities and task for them wherein they will be able to develop their skill despite of their physical problem. WORKS CITED Peterson, C., Peterson, J., and Webb, J. (2000). Factors Influencing The Development Of A Theory Of Mind In Blind Children. British Journal of Developmental Psychology (2000), 18, 431–447. Appendix Read More