Nature Vs Nurture Case Study

Theory of mind (ToM) is the ability to infer a range of mental states that cause behaviour, having it enables you to reflect on what is in your own mind as well as that of another person (Schlinger, 2009). There are tasks to test for ToM, for example, the false belief task. This determines whether someone will act on a belief they know is incorrect or acknowledge that another person, who is unaware of a particular piece of information, may act in an ‘incorrect’ way (Harris & Butterworth, 2002). If ToM is a result of nature, it is due to genetics, whereas, if nurture is the cause, environmental factors have produced it. This essay will use animal and human studies to determine whether ToM is a function of nature or nurture.
Premack and Woodruff

It has been said that ToM is directly linked to mirror neurons (Comer, Gould, & Furnham, 2013), if the frontal and parietal cortices of the brain, where they are located, are damaged, ToM could be lost, implying that it is a function of nature. It has also been said that, without ToM, social communication would be challenging as we would need verbal information regarding the intentions and feelings of others, this indicates that ToM is an adaptive trait, suggesting that nature is responsible for it (Comer, Gould, & Furnham, 2013). Although some researchers have claimed ToM does not develop until ages 3 or 4 (Westen, 1999), Repacholi and Gopnik found that 2 year old children can infer, from the face an experimenter makes after eating a certain food, that they do not want it even if they themselves like the food (as cited in Westen, 1999). This evidence implies that ToM is an innate ability, supporting the idea that it is due to nature rather than nurture. Another study which provides evidence for ToM being a function of nature is Leslie’s study, he concluded that although ToM does not develop until the toddler years, it is actually innately determined (as cited in Gross, 1999). Autism plays a key role in the discussion of ToM, the disorder stems from abnormal brain functioning, often with genetic causes. Children with autism lack ToM, suggesting that nature determines whether you possess it (Berk, 2006). The fact that children who are mentally impaired do not perform well in tasks requiring mental understanding (Berk, 2006) also supports the idea that nature has a big impact on ToM as the evidence suggests problems with the brain lead to problems with