Theory of mind

Recent articles

It’s past time to stop using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test

The widely used measure of “theory of mind” needs to be re-examined, along with the long-standing claim that autism is linked to a lack of this ability.

By Wendy C. Higgins, Robert M. Ross
16 May 2024 | 8 min read
Illustration of half of a brain on the left and half of a heart on the right

Change of heart and mind: Autism’s ties to cardiac defects

Children with congenital heart disease have an increased likelihood of autism. Why?

By Lauren Schenkman
21 July 2023 | 12 min read
Brain scans displaying activity in areas linked with social behavior.

People’s perceptions of ‘social’ animations don’t always square with researchers’ labels

The finding calls into question differences between autistic and non-autistic people on a decades-old theory-of-mind test involving interacting geometric shapes.

By Charles Q. Choi
22 February 2023 | 6 min read
Noah Sasson, a thin white man, stands in a courtyard with his hands in his pockets.

Noah Sasson: Connecting with the autistic community

Intentional interactions with autistic people led Sasson to refocus his research.

By Rachel Zamzow
15 September 2022 | 13 min read
Illustration of hybrid objects: part light bulb, part lab vial, some in blue and some in red to signify null and replicated results.

Null and Noteworthy: Mind reading, specialist shortage, sleep problems source

This month, a commonly used emotion-recognition test doesn’t perform as expected — nor does a survey of past efforts to train autism specialists or a hunt for the sources of the sleep problems that often accompany the condition.

By Emily Harris
23 August 2022 | 4 min read
Four brains showing areas affected by the X chomosome in yellow

X chromosome exerts extra influence on brain development

The X chromosome holds stronger-than-expected genetic sway over the structure of several brain regions. The genes that may underlie this oversized influence have ties to autism.

By Rachel Zamzow
15 September 2021 | 5 min read
Illustration shows two octopi interacting on a yellow background.

Getting eight arms around autism

Octopuses can solve some of the same problems as people but do so in unusual ways.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
8 September 2021 | 5 min listen
Illustration shows a woman whose mouth is covered by a cloud and whos eyes are covered by a cloud.

Double empathy, explained

The double empathy theory challenges the idea that social difficulties are specific to autism and suggests that problems arise from a mismatch in perspective between autistic and non-autistic people.

By Rachel Zamzow
22 July 2021 | 8 min read
Man reaches into cabinet while a woman looks on

Single neurons may power key ‘theory of mind’ skills

A subset of brain cells signal when someone tries to infer another person’s thoughts, according to a new study.

By Angie Voyles Askham
8 February 2021 | 4 min read
Photograph shows young woman and older woman discussing paperwork.

‘Theory of mind’ does not fade with age among autistic adults

Autistic people's ability to understand another person's thinking does not diminish with age, as it does for non-autistic people.

By Peter Hess
13 November 2020 | 4 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Illustration of a lab with a smoking crater in the middle of the floor.

A scientific fraud. An investigation. A lab in recovery.

Science is built on trust. What happens when someone destroys it?

By Calli McMurray
4 October 2024 | 26 min read
Illustration of hands sewing red and white threads in a DNA-like pattern into a blue-gray fabric.

Untangling biological threads from autism’s phenotypic patchwork reveals four core subtypes

People belonging to the same subtype share genetic variants, behaviors and often co-occurring diagnoses, according to a new preprint.

By Holly Barker
3 October 2024 | 5 min read
Illustration of a colorful, donut-shaped object resting on a distorted plane with its own topography.

Neural manifolds: Latest buzzword or pathway to understand the brain?

When you cut away the misconceptions, neural manifolds present a conceptually appropriate level at which systems neuroscientists can study the brain.

By Matthew Perich
2 October 2024 | 8 min read