Ib

Question 1

Intentional terms: abstraction tools for system description & prediction

Answer 1

• Physical stance physical properties and laws
• Design stance design principles (teleological)
• Intentional stance assumption of rational agency

Question 2

Author of Intentional Stance

Answer 2

Dennett, 1987

Question 3

Stages of Mentalising/Prediction

Answer 3

• First-order: system has beliefs, desires, wishes, hopes, …
• Second-order: system has beliefs, desires,… about beliefs, desires,…
(its own and of others); etc.

Question 4

Application of Prediction

Answer 4

when complete, exact modeling is not available/practical

Question 5

Problem and Solutions of Prediction

Answer 5

Problem: Representation not possible in first order predicate logics
Solutions:
Formally: modal logics, meta-languages (predicates for intentions)
– Semantically: possible world semantics ! logical omniscience problem (perfect reasoning)

Question 6

Definition ToM and author

Answer 6

Ability to impute mental states to oneself and to others (Premack&Woodruff, 1978)

Question 7

Characteristics of ToM

Answer 7

Importance of knowing what others do and do not know (Frith&Frith, 2010)
• Automatic, of importance for oneself (e.g., object recognition from different perspective

Question 8

Innate Skills - Developmental Psychology

Answer 8

• Imitation of observed movements
• Nonverbal interaction with faces and human voices
! “social referencing”, already with nine months of age:
Facial expression of reference persons as information source

Question 9

Abilities of children at 3

Answer 9

difficulties with wrong assumptions
e.g., crayons hidden in candy box
“what will other kids expect to be in the box?” ! “Crayons!”
also for own recent wrong beliefs:
“what did you think you would find in the box?” ! “Crayons!”

Pretense:
distinction of pretending to be a rabbit and being a rabbit
! From desires to beliefs as basis for explanations

Question 10

Abilities at age 5

Answer 10

gradual understanding of

the representational nature of beliefs (beliefs can also be wrong)

Question 11

Abilities before age 3

Answer 11

Desires:
Already before age 3:
understanding that desires…
…may remain unrealised
…determine emotions
…of different persons may differ

Question 12

Abilities at age 6

Answer 12

Distinction of experienced and pretended emotion from age ~6
– Inferential capabilities when facing ambiguities and
complex sources of information
– “Stream of consciousness”
• Unconscious movements while sleeping; conscious sitting still
(cf. also A.Schnitzler “Fräulein Else“, J.Joyce “Ulysses“, D.Lodge “Thinks…”,

Question 13

Communication - two persons interaction and name

Answer 13

Interplay of involuntary (e.g. biological motion, mind-reading, mirroring) and
deliberate ostensive (attention-attracting) signalling to
“close the loop”
(Frith&Frith, 2010)

Question 14

Father of Folk Psychology

Answer 14

Wilhelm Wundt (1916): “Völkerpsychologie”

Question 15

Another name for Folk Psychology

Answer 15

“Naïve” or “common sense” psychology

Question 16

Principles of FP

Answer 16

(Partial) explanation of human behaviour by means of useful
mental constructs
– Beliefs, desires, preferences
– Intentions, expectations
– Hopes, fears

Question 17

Issues of FP

Answer 17

Status:
Scientific Theory (! Theory-Theory vs. Simulation)
– Reference for development of theories
– Scientifically useless, but useful in everyday life

Question 18

Theory Theory

Answer 18

Cognitive development as “scientific paradigm changes”
– Successions of intuitive “Theories of Mind” for explanation of subjective
experience and observed behaviour

Question 19

Philosophical interpretation of folk psychology

Answer 19

Assumption of actual internal (brain) states, corresponding to the abstract
mental entities and laws
– Possibility of prediction, interpretation, explanation
– Falsifiable ! theory change in the light of
counter examples, new data and results of experiments
– Questioning of the authority (=validity) of the conscious self (“I”)
• Knowledge about our own mind is as much of theoretical nature as
our knowledge about the minds of others

Question 20

THE Paper on ToM

Answer 20

Baron-Cohen S., Leslie A.M., Frith U. (1985). Does the autistic child have a “theory of mind”? Cognition 21(1):37-46

Question 21

Conclusions of THE Paper on ToM

Answer 21

Majority of autistics failed
(80%),
majority of others passed
(85+%)
to ensure the child has
• knowledge of real current
location of the object
• accurate memory of
previous location
…All pass

Question 22

Simulation

Answer 22

Modular approach

• Maturation of innate “Theory of Mind”-modules

Question 23

Modules of ToM

Answer 23

Eye direction detector, intentionality detector,
shared attention mechanism (pointing, gaze following)
develop at ~18 months

Question 24

What is Simulation

Answer 24

Simulation of/Imagination of putting oneself in someones’ place
(also important for onself àanticipation, planning)
• Important role of socialisation and social interaction

Question 25

Name Simulation

Answer 25

Baron-Cohen, Leslie

Question 26

Paradigms of Cognition

Answer 26

Modularity vs. distributed processing - local vs. global properties

Cognitivism vs. Emergent Systems vs. Hybrid Systems

Question 27

Explain Pricniples of Cognitive Engineering and Name

Answer 27

Wilson et al.2013,

• macro- micro-cognition
• experimentation and Observation
• C - cognitive psychologists
• B - Cognitive System Engineers