Executive function and theory of mind: implications for individuals with acquired brain injury

Abstract

This thesis focuses on theory ofmind (ToM) and executive function (EF). Psychosocial treatments aimed at enhancing ToM skills are explored. Impairments in ToM in acquired brain injury (ABI) and a possible relationship to performance on tests ofEF is investigated. The literature review explores whether ToM abilities can be enhanced through psychosocial treatments in typically developing children and across various clinical populations. Attention is paid to whether reported improvements found through various approaches, can be generalised to other tasks, or real life situations to indicate whether a conceptual change has occurred. The implications are discussed in terms of future research and clinical implications. The empirical paper explores whether individuals with ABI can pass ToM tasks and whether this is related to performance on tests ofexecutive function (EF). Performance is compared and contrasted with neurologically healthy controls. Findings indicate that individuals with ABI performed significantly poorer than the neurologically healthy group. A limited relationship was found between tasks ofToM and tests ofEF. There were no real differences in this relationship between the two groups. The implications are discussed in terms of a need for further research and clinical implications. The reflective paper explores the role ofreflection during the research process. Reflection is focused on academic and clinical experiences, dreams that occurred during the research process and presentation ofparticipants during data collection. Application of some ofthese reflections to clinical practice is discussed