<P> A subsequent study, using the incongruent / congruent gaze - shift paradigm described above, found that in high - functioning adults with autism, posterior STS (pSTS) activation was undifferentiated while they watched a human shift gaze toward a target and then toward adjacent empty space . The lack of additional STS processing in the incongruent state may suggest that these subjects fail to form an expectation of what the actor should do given contextual information, or that feedback about the violation of this expectation doesn't reach STS . Both explanations involve an impairment in the ability to link eye gaze shifts with intentional explanations . This study also found a significant anticorrelation between STS activation in the incongruent - congruent contrast and social subscale score on the Autism Diagnostic Interview - Revised, but not scores on the other subscales . </P> <P> In 2011, an fMRI study demonstrated that the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) of higher - functioning adults with autism was not more selectively activated for mentalizing judgments when compared to physical judgments about self and other . rTPJ selectivity for mentalizing was also related to individual variation on clinical measures of social impairment: individuals whose rTPJ was increasingly more active for mentalizing compared to physical judgments were less socially impaired, while those who showed little to no difference in response to mentalizing or physical judgments were the most socially impaired . This evidence builds on work in typical development that suggests rTPJ is critical for representing mental state information, irrespective of whether it is about oneself or others . It also points to an explanation at the neural level for the pervasive mind - blindness difficulties in autism that are evident throughout the lifespan . </P> <P> The brain regions associated with theory of mind include the superior temporal gyrus (STS), the temporoparietal junction (TPJ), the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), the precuneus, and the amygdala . The reduced activity in the MPFC of individuals with schizophrenia is associated with the Theory of mind deficit and may explain impairments in social function among people with schizophrenia . Increased neural activity in MPFC is related to better perspective - taking, emotion management, and increased social functioning . Disrupted brain activities in areas related to theory of mind may increase social stress or disinterest in social interaction, and contribute to the social dysfunction associated with schizophrenia . </P> <P> Group member average scores of theory of mind abilities, measured with the Reading the Mind in the Eyes test (RME), are suggested as drivers of successful group performance . In particular, high group average scores on the RME are shown to be correlated with the collective intelligence factor c defined as a group's ability to perform a wide range of mental tasks, a group intelligence measure similar to the g factor for general individual intelligence . RME is a ToM test for adults that shows sufficient test - retest reliability and constantly differentiates control groups from individuals with functional autism or Asperger syndrome . It is one of the most widely accepted and well - validated tests for ToM abilities within adults . </P>

When does a child develop theory of mind