ToM
Science & Engineering abbreviation · Psychology
| Stands for | Theory of mind |
|---|---|
| Categories | Science & Engineering |
ToM stands for Theory of mind, a psychology abbreviation.
Ability to understand that other people have their own beliefs, desires, intentions and knowledge that may differ from one's own, and to use this to explain and predict behavior. Most children pass standard false-belief tests around age four.
Example: In the Sally-Anne task, children with ToM predict that Sally will look where she left the marble.
Usage notes
David Premack and Guy Woodruff coined the term in 1978 in a study asking whether chimpanzees have a theory of mind. Simon Baron-Cohen, Alan Leslie and Uta Frith's 1985 Sally-Anne study linked ToM difficulties to autism, a view later refined. Researchers also test ToM in animals and in AI language models.
Related abbreviations
More psychology abbreviations
- SEM – Structural equation modeling
- SES – Socioeconomic status
- STAI – State-Trait Anxiety Inventory
- STM – Short-term memory
- SWB – Subjective well-being
- TAT – Thematic Apperception Test
- TPB – Theory of planned behavior
- UR – Unconditioned response
- US – Unconditioned stimulus
- VCI – Verbal Comprehension Index
- WAIS – Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
- WEIRD – Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic