THEORY-OF-MIND DEFICITS AND CAUSAL ATTRIBUTIONS

The ability to understand and conceptualize I:he mental processes of o ther people is considered to play a vital role in social interactions. Deficits in this area, sometimes known as theory-of-mind (ToM) defici ts, have been identified as playing a possible causal role in autism, Asperger's syndrome and schizophrenic disorders, particularly paranoia . Paranoia has also been associated with an abnormal attributional sty le, an observation that suggests that ToM and attributional processes may be related phenomena. This paper describes a study examining the r elationship between attributional processes and ToM deficits. Seventy- seven undergraduate participants completed a ToM task and forty-six al so completed the Internal,Personal and Situational Attributions Questi onnaire (IPSAQ). ToM deficits were associated with an increased tenden cy to identify other individuals as responsible for negative social si tuations. The implications of the observed relationship between attrib utions and ToM deficits are discussed.