title: Sarcasm and advanced theory of mind understanding in children and adults with prelingual deafness.
abstract: Two studies addressed key theoretical debates in theory of mind (ToM) development by comparing (a) deaf native signers (n = 18), (b) deaf late signers (n = 59), and (c) age-matched hearing persons (n = 74) in childhood (Study 1: n = 81) and adulthood (Study 2: n = 70) on tests of first- and second-order false belief and conversational sarcasm. Results showed ToM development to be a life span phenomenon for deaf and hearing people alike. Native and late signers were outperformed by hearing peers on advanced ToM in childhood (M = 9 years), but in adulthood (M = 40 years), native signers had caught up, whereas late signers had not. Findings highlight the extended importance of conversational interaction for ToM growth.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: O'Reilly
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology.
authors.forename: Candida C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan.
authors.forename: Henry M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Wellman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D032882:Comprehension / Q000502:physiology*; D003469:Culture; D003638:Deafness / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012813:Sign Language; D056345:Theory of Mind; D014705:Verbal Behavior; D055815:Young Adult