26.05.11
How Do Deaf Children Understand Other Minds

HOW DO DEAF CHILDREN UNDERSTAND OTHER MINDS

ЯК ДІТИ З ВАДАМИ СЛУХУ РОЗУМІЮТЬ ІНШИХ

 

J. Kossewska

І. Косевська

 

Department of Psychology, Pedagogical University in Cracow

Педагогічний університет, м. Краків, Польща

 

Теорія свідомості розглядається як фундаментальна для нашого розуміння соціального світу. Вона допомагає нам зрозуміти складну модель багатьох соціальних відносин, таких як обман, міжперсональні конфлікти та переговори. Теорія свідомості живить наше почуття гумору, також вона є основою для розуміння культурних цінностей: література, драма, фільми.

Дослідження теорії свідомості почалися в 1980 роках і сьогодні стали найактивнішим полем дослідження психології розвитку та медицини, психології винятково та чуттєво обмежених дітей.

Згідно перших досліджень теорії свідомості, 65% австралійських глухих дітей, що користуються австралійською мовою знаків, провалили тест на детекторі брехні. Це означало, що діти з вадами слуху серйозно відставали у розвитку теорії свідомості тоді як невербальні розумові здібності та хронологічний вік були під контролем.

Також глухі діти з сімей без проблем зі слухом дуже відставали в розвитку порівняно з глухими дітьми з сімей з вадами слуху. Багато дітей не мають доступу до спонтанних вербальних розмов та коментарів і найбільшим викликом є пошук природного та мотиваційного способу, як надати їм можливість брати участь у таких дискусіях.

 

Theory of mind has been viewed as fundamental for our understanding of the social world. It helps us to make sense of the complex patterns of many social relationships such as acts of deception, interpersonal conflicts and negotiations. It animates our humour so it is also fundamental for our appreciation of cultural acquisition such as literature, drama, film.

 

Research on the theory of mind in children started in the early 1980s and today has become the most active field of research both developmental and clinical psychology as well as psychology of exceptional and sensory impaired children.

 

The first study in the field of theory of mind in deaf by Peterson and Siegal (1995) revealed that 65% of profoundly deaf Australian children using Auslan (Australian sign language) to communicate failed the false belief test. It suggested that deaf children were seriously delayed in the development of theory of mind while nonverbal intelligence and chronological age were controlled. More recent research indicate that deaf children are delayed in developing theories of mind , and that delay is quite serious compared to hearing children — deaf children aged 5–12 years solve tests focused on theories of mind better than 3&year&olds but not as well as 4 year&olds, although the background mechanism itself is not damaged (Courtin, 2000).

 

Recent empirical facts have moved further research into the context of language as well as communication deprivation. Peterson and Siegal (2000) summarised the results of 11 separate investigations from different cultures and education systems involving profoundly deaf children and false belief tests and found consistent support for the finding that signing deaf children from hearing families are seriously delayed in acquiring theory of mind. The delay amongst deaf children with deaf parents/carers was not so marked. If a child is not able to communicate with others by means of a communication channel he or she understands, it limits the child’s ability to understand mental states of other persons. Clearly, many deaf children do not have access to spontaneous spoken conversations and comments and a major challenge lies in finding the most natural and motivating way of ensuring their involvement in such discussions.

 

Hearing parents of deaf children often fail to explain their decision and the stress only to communicate the eventual outcome so their children seem to focus on their own wishes. Participating in conversation, deaf children more often use arguments that did not provide new information for their conversation partners, including repetitions.

 

Theory of mind development might also be related to educational system. Children educated by means of total communication, bilingual communication and sound language were compared (Courtin, 2000, Peterson, Siegal 1999). Deaf children of hearing parents are delayed in the development of theories of mind no matter what communication pattern has been adopted in their education, which means that the delay is not specific or related to the way of teaching. The education of deaf children living in an integrated environment needs to look beyond functional communication and academic skills and ensure there is also a focus on more complex aspects of social and emotional understanding and development.

 

The first study in the field of theory of mind by Polish deaf adolescents will be presented. The aim of the study was to test deaf adolescents on false&belief tasks using «thought picture» by Woolfe el al. (2002) in reference to family hearing status. It was assumed that deaf native signers and deaf late signers differ on TOM performance.

 

Courtin, C. (2000). The impact of sign language on the cognitive development of deaf children: the case of theories of mind. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 5 (3), 266–276.

Peterson, C. C. Siegal, M.(1995). Deafness, conversation and theory of mind. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 36, 459–474.

Peterson, C. C., Siegal, M. (2000). Insights into theory of mind from deafness and autism. Mind and Language, 15,. 123–145.

Woolfe, T., Want, S. C., Siegal, M. (2002). Signposts to development: Theory of mind in deaf children. Child Development, 73, 768–778.

Peterson, C. C., Siegal, M. (1999). Representing inner worlds: Theory of mind in autistic, deaf, and normal hearing children.

Psychological Science, 10 (2), 126–129.– 66 – Секція І Науково-організаційні засади з особливими потребами

 

Source: Актуальні проблеми навчання та виховання людей в інтегрованому освітньому середовищі. Тези доповідей. Частина І. Десята міжнародна науково-практична конференція 2010.


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