Deafness, thought bubbles, and theory-of-mind development.

The processes and mechanisms of theory-of-mind development were examined via a training study of false-belief conceptions in deaf children of hearing parents (N = 43). In comparison to 2 different control conditions, training based on thought-bubble instruction about beliefs was linked with improved false-belief understanding as well as progress on a broader theory-of-mind scale. By combining intervention, microgenetic, and developmental scaling methods, the findings provide informative data about the nature and mechanisms of theory-of-mind change in deaf children, as well as an initial demonstration of a useful intervention for enhancing social cognition in deaf children of hearing parents. The methods and results also point to possible avenues for the study of conceptual change more generally. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.