Essay

Evaluate the theory of mind hypothesis and one other cognitive theory of autism (Weak central coherence or Executive dysfunction) in relation to the three criteria for a good theory (specificity, universality and uniqueness).

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Course
Social And Developmental Psychology

Institution
The University Of Nottingham (UON)

Essay of 8 pages for the course Social And Developmental Psychology at UON

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Uploaded on May 14, 2022
Number of pages 8
Written in 2019/2020
Type Essay
Professor(s) Unknown
Grade A

autism
developmental
social
theory of mind
weak central coherence
social and developmental psychology
asd

Institution
The University of Nottingham (UON)
Education Unknown
Course
Social And Developmental Psychology

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4314752

Evaluate the theory of mind hypothesis and one other cognitive theory of autism (Weak

central coherence or Executive dysfunction) in relation to the three criteria for a good

theory (specificity, universality and uniqueness).

The theory of mind hypothesis (Baron-Cohen, Leslie & Frith, 1985; Rajendran & Mitchell,

2007) and the Weak Central Coherence theory of autism (Happe, 1999) are two of many

theories psychologists have proposed in attempt to accurately capture the disorder in the

most ‘specific’, ‘unique’ and ‘universal’ way. These three descriptors make up the necessary

criteria one must fulfil in order for their cognitive theory to be deemed “good”. Specificity

focuses on how well the features of autism are explained in the theory. Furthermore,

features of the cognitive theory must be unique to autism, rather than present in other

conditions. Finally, everybody with the disorder needs to display this difficulty, making the

theory universal.

In this essay, I attempt to evaluate these two theories of autism in relation to the criteria I

have described, concluding which I believe to be the better theory.

The “triad of impairment” that constitutes Autism spectrum disorder is made up of

impairments in socialisation, communication and imagination (American Psychiatric

Association, 1994; Wing and Gould, 1979).

In order to explain ASD I will briefly summarise this triad of impairments that underpin the

disorder and should provide a basis for most autism theories.

An impairment in socialisation might mean the individual might not display a typical level of

social attachment, meaning they might find difficulty in making friends, or appear more

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independent as a young child. Furthermore, individuals are likely to struggle understand

others’ thoughts, emotions and feelings. Autistic individuals often display this through

visible behaviours such as irregular eye contact and failing to follow gaze.

More specifically, a difficulty in interpreting another person’s desire for affection is often

prevalent in autistic individuals. Individuals might express extremes of emotion such as

aggressive outbursts due to an inability to regulate their emotions and cope with change.

Undiagnosed autistic children are often labelled “disruptive and badly behaved” at school

because of this, as well as an inability to accept social rules.

Communication impairment is also a key part of autism. This can come in the forms of both

verbal and non-verbal communication. Non-verbal might include things like failing to

develop imitation skills, a lack of enthusiasm to partake in a conversation unless it involves

that person’s strong interests, or having difficulty reading facial expressions and body

language. On the other hand, verbal communication impairment can be pinpointed very

early on in development. By the age of two years, autistic individuals are unlikely to learn

more than just two words. Additionally, they may not respond to their name until a later

age than their typically developing peers. A key indicator is the unusual use of pronouns

autistic children might use, such as reversing ‘I’ with ‘you’ in a sentence. Autistic individuals

can rarely understand sarcasm and are far more likely to take things literally.

An impairment in imagination makes up the third facet of the impairment triad of autism.

This includes an inability to engage in pretend play as a young child due to lack of

imagination. Furthermore, there may be a noticeable resistance in autistic individuals to

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