'Theory of Mind'
The second focus of my research work is on alternative conceptualisations of the failure by individuals with autism to pass false belief tasks. Typical children pass such tests sometime between their fourth and fifth birthdays. But children with autism do so much later, if ever. Some theorists  argue that what develops is a cognitive system specifically dedicated to the understanding of mental states. My view is that what we call mental state understanding is a sub-set of more general complex reasoning. I have devised a scenario that does not require a reference to mental states in order to be solved correctly.  Both children with autism and typically developing children find this task as difficult as false belief tasks.  Moreover, performance on the two tasks is highly correlated for both groups, suggesting that they tap a common underlying process.  My current research attempts to tease apart a number of possible contenders for what this process might be.