Differences in Theory of Mind Processes in Older and Younger Adults

Theory of Mind (ToM) – the ability to understand and attribute mental states to ourselves and other people – plays a key role in everyday social communication. Using a computerized false-belief task, the Self/Other Differentiation task, the research presented here explores how ToM abilities are utilized in older (60+ years old) and younger (19-30 years old) individuals, when identifying mental states that belong to the ‘Self’ versus ‘Other’, as well as how we may shift between perspectives. We explore how differences in belief-attribution processes may be highlighted in both behavioural and eye-tracking measures, and what may produce these differences (e.g. sentence processing).