Consciousness entails experiences of a constant flow of thought, consisting of a continuous succession of mental states and contents (thoughts, percepts, feelings, etc.). This stream of consciousness continues even when individuals expend considerable effort to inhibit unwanted thoughts. Expressions like "my mind wandered" and claims such as "I can't get that song out of my head" reflect adults' sense that the mind is partially uncontrollable. Unlike adults, kindergartners and elementary school children typically have only limited knowledge of the constant flow of thought and its uncontrollability. These basic findings argue for the hypothesis that young children will have difficulty monitoring and reporting intrusive thoughts following potentially traumatic events, such as Hurricane Katrina. This project will investigate whether children's "theories" of the mind's operations underlie their abilities to monitor intrusive thoughts. Children living in areas directly affected by Hurricane Katrina, and control children in areas not directly affected by Katrina, will be interviewed on intrusive thoughts and tested for theory of mind development, self-control, language skills, and general intelligence. Children who experienced Hurricane Katrina directly are expected to report more intrusive thoughts than other children. In addition, children's level of theory of mind is expected to predict their ability to notice and report intrusive thoughts. Levels of self-control, language skills, general intelligence and family socio-economic status are expected to be either independent predictors or covariates of theory of mind in predicting intrusive thoughts. Recent research has also shown that theory of mind development can be delayed following traumatizing events, such as maltreatment or abuse. It is therefore expected that children who experienced Hurricane Katrina directly will be delayed in theory of mind development. Stronger support for this hypothesis is expected for preschool age children than for older children. Unwanted intrusive thoughts and flashbacks are potential threats to psychological health and everyday functioning, especially after potentially traumatizing events like Hurricane Katrina. This project will be the first empirical study of the relationships among intrusive thoughts, children's level of knowledge about the mind, and experiences with a natural disaster. If children's level of theory of mind does indeed predict intrusive thoughts, and if younger children have difficulties monitoring and reporting intrusive thoughts because their understanding of the mind's operations is not fully developed, then children who suffer from recurring intrusive thoughts--and specifically, negative thoughts Hurricane Katrina--may be at risk for developing behavioral problems. By contrast, higher levels of theory of mind development may be associated with advanced social skills and resilience to psychopathology. Given the importance of theory of mind development to social functioning, evidence for delays in theory of mind development subsequent to a natural disaster would have significant clinical and educational implications. The hypothesized findings from this project would suggest that theory of mind should be an integral part of preventive interventions aimed at children who experience traumatizing events, such as abuse, natural disasters, war, and terrorism.
