Study identifies brain circuits enabling four-year-olds to “put themselves in other people’s shoes”

This study may shine light on why, at least on a neural level. Indeed, theory of mind underlies some of the best elements of humanity. Our ability to show compassion and forgiveness, to cooperate and work towards common goals, and to undertake moral reasoning about what is right and wrong are all greatly expanded by our capacity to conceptualize how other people think and feel. This study provides new insights into how human brain development sets the stage for these essential social skills and virtues. Summer Allen, Ph.D., is a science writer and frequent contributor to the American Association for the Advancement of Science and to Greater Good. Based at UC-Berkeley, Greater Good high­lights ground break­ing sci­en­tific research into the roots of com­pas­sion and altruism. Copyright Greater Good.   The Study White matter maturation is associated with the emergence of Theory of Mind in early childhood (Nature Communications) Abstract: The ability to attribute mental states to other individuals is crucial for human cognition. A milestone of this ability is reached around the age of 4, when children start understanding that others can have false beliefs about the world. The neural basis supporting this critical step is currently unknown. Here, we relate this behavioural change to the maturation of white matter structure in 3- and 4-year-old children. Tract-based spatial statistics and probabilistic tractography show that the developmental breakt...
Source: SharpBrains - Category: Neuroscience Authors: Tags: Cognitive Neuroscience Education & Lifelong Learning brain changes brain-development brain-scans cognitive-skills diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging frontal-lobe human development MRI theory-of-mind white-matter Source Type: blogs