Development of online use of theory of mind during adolescence: An eye-tracking study

We investigated the development of theory of mind use through eye-tracking in children (9-13years old, n=14), adolescents (14-17.9years old, n=28), and adults (19-29years old, n=23). Participants performed a computerized task in which a director instructed them to move objects placed on a set of shelves. Some of the objects were blocked off from the director's point of view; therefore, participants needed to take into consideration the director's ignorance of these objects when following the director's instructions. In a control condition, participants performed the same task in the absence of the director and were told that the instructions would refer only to items in slots without a back panel, controlling for general cognitive demands of the task. Participants also performed two inhibitory control tasks. We replicated previous findings, namely that in the director-present condition, but not in the control condition, children and adolescents made more errors than adults, suggesting that theory of mind use improves between adolescence and adulthood. Inhibitory control partly accounted for errors on the director task, indicating that it is a factor of developmental change in perspective taking. Eye-tracking data revealed early eye gaze differences between trials where the director's perspective was taken into account and those where it was not. Once differences in accuracy rates were considered, all age groups engaged in the same kind of online processing during perspective taking but differed in how often they engaged in perspective taking. When perspective is correctly taken, all age groups' gaze data point to an early influence of perspective information

Adolescents are delayed at inferring complex social intentions in others, but not basic (false) beliefs: an eye movement investigation

Most developmental research on Theory of Mind (ToM) - our ability to infer the beliefs, intentions, and desires of others - has focused on the preschool years. This is unsurprising since it was previously thought that ToM skills are developed between the ages of 2 and 7 years old (Wellman, Cross, & Watson, 2001). Over the last couple of decades however, studies have provided evidence for significant structural and functional changes in the brain areas involved in ToM (the “social brain”) not only during childhood, but also during adolescence. Importantly, some of these findings suggest that the use of ToM shows a prolonged development through middle childhood and adolescence. Although evidence from previous studies suggests a protracted development of ToM, the factors that constrain performance during middle childhood and adolescence are only just beginning to be explored. In the current paper we report two visual world eye-tracking studies that focus on the timecourse of predictive inferences. We establish that when the complexity of ToM inferences are at a level which is comparable to standard change-of-location False-belief tasks, then adolescents and adults generate predictions for other agents’ behaviour in the same timecourse. However, when inferences are socially more complex, requiring inferences about higher-order mental states, adolescents generate predictive gaze bias at a marked delay relative to adults. Importantly, our results demonstrate that these developmental differences go beyond differences in executive functions (inhibitory control or working memory), and point to distinct expectations between groups and greater uncertainty when predicting actions based on conflicting desires

The Impact of Social Support Networks on Maternal Employment: A Comparison of West German, East German and Migrant Mothers of Pre-School Children

Given shortages in public child care in Germany, this paper asks whether social support with child care and domestic work by spouses, kin and friends can facilitate mothers' return to full-time or part-time positions within the first six years after birth. Using SOEP data from 1993-2009 and event history analyses for competing risks, the author compares the employment transitions of West German, East German and migrant mothers of pre-school children. The results indicate that West German and migrant mothers return to work sooner if they have access to kin, and that kinship support is particularly important when public child care is unavailable. Furthermore, West German and migrant mothers are more likely to work full-time if their spouses partipate in domestic work. In contrast, social support does not affect employment transitions in East Germany where public child care is more easily accessible and continuous female employment is a prevalent social norm

Augmented Bodies Interactive wearables for local-global synergies

The paper documents the research and design of an interactive dance performance which was devised as a collective project of an interdisciplinary team comprising of architects, digital designers, musicians and dancers. The project employed methodologies of research by design and utilized a range of digital technologies for 3D body scanning, digital design, 3D printing of the wearables incorporating sensors of different types that would translate the data from the motion tracking into music and interactive video projections. The design process employed ad hoc methodologies, as there was constant feedback across designers, musicians, engineers and dancers. The design of the wearables was done on a 3D avatar, obtained through 3D scanning of the dancer's body. The wearables were designed with algorithmic tools and optimized in order to accommodate the necessary space for the sensors and microcontrollers. During the interactive dance performance the sounds are perceived to be coming from the body. © 2021, Education and research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe. All rights reserved

Furniture Design with Digital Media A participative educational experiment of digital craftsmanship

The paper discusses the methodology, educational process and design outcome of the studio course ``Furniture Design with Digital Media: From Design To Production'' which took place at International Hellenic University in Thessaloniki, Greece. 20 students and young professionals participated in the course working in teams to produce a series of models which would later develop into a full-scale furniture piece. The workshop aimed to offer an experiential learning opportunity, showcasing the entire digital workflow employed for furniture design, from design to production. The design methodology employed digital design strategies, linked with material constraints, optimization and adaptation of the design for digital fabrication equipment. This educational experiment led to the production of a full-scale furniture prototype which was digitally fabricated and is currently on exhibit at the premises of the International Hellenic University in Thessaloniki. © 2018

Blending realities: From digital to physical and back to digital

[No abstract available