theory of mind Flashcards
define theory of mind
the human capacity to understand minds, made up of a collection of concepts and processes
true or false: theory of mind is not a theory
true, it is a capacity. scholars label it as mentalizing or mindreading
give an example of social interactions that rely on theory of mind
possible answers:
- teaching someone a new action/rule, understanding what the person doesnt know and how they will best understand
learning new language by observing how other people speak it
- guessing social standing by guessing what people think of you
- sharing experiences by telling them to a friend
- collaboration on tasks by sharing a goal and both trusting each other to reach it together
ToM is limited in an individual with ________
autism
What is on the bottom of the pyramid for tools of theory of mind?
Simple, automatic, early developing, evolutionary old processes
- identifying agents
-recognizing goals
assessing intentionality
What is on the top of the pyramid of the tools of theory of mind?
complex, deliberate, late developing, evolutionary recent processes
- mental state inference
What does the agent category do in the theory of mind pyramid?
allows humans to identify moving objects in the world that act on their own
shown through: following gaze or imitating
What is the process of recognizing goals? What does it build on?
- builds on agent category (agents are directed towards goal objects> seek out, track then contact object)
- recognizing goals=understanding the predictability between agents pursuing object, tying also into intent
How does intentionality fit in with the theory of mind pyramid? What do you need for something to be intentional?
- its complex, goals can be unintentional
- to act intentionally you need beliefs about how to achieve the goal not just the goal itself
- you also need skill to execute the intention
order these groups from bottom of the ToM pyramid to top:
(imitation, mimicry, automatic empathy)
(Projection, simulation)
(identifying agents, recognizing goals, assessing information)
(mental state inference)
(joint attention, visual perspective taking)
Bottom: (identifying agents, recognizing goals, assessing information)
(imitation, mimicry, automatic empathy)
(joint attention, visual perspective taking)
(Projection, simulation)
top: (mental state inference)
Define mimicry
copying other’s behaviours, usually without intent or awareness
What state is reached when two people mutually mimic each other aka mutual mimicry?
Synchrony (two ppl displaying same behaviours or have same internal states)
- makes ppl enjoy the conversation more!
What two types of information are linked tightly by brain mechanisms that make synchronizing possible?
Perceptual and motor information (i see you move your hands, i will move my hands)
What are mirror neurons?
In monkey brains, they fire both when it sees and performs the same action.
What is automatic empathy?
- social perceiver unwittingly taking on internal states of someone else
- usually caused by mimicking expressive behaviour and thus feeling the emotion too
Define joint attention
two ppl paying attention to the same object, while being aware that they are both paying attention to it
Why is shared engagement important for children to learn the meaning of objects?
value: is it safe/rewarding?
words that refer to it: what is this called?
define visual perspective taking. how does it relate to effortful mental state inference?
- visual perspective taking: perceiving smth from some else’s spacial vantage point
- can relate to effortful mental state inference loosely (trying to infer another’s thoughts desires and emotions)
What is the process of simulation? give an example
Representing an other person’s mental state
- using one’s own mental state as a model for other’s mental states
- ‘like me’ assumption
- ex. imagine sitting across from a police investigator, I would be so scared so they must be too
define social projection
Perceivers assumption that the other person wants, knows or feels the same that the perceivers wants, knows, or feels
- can be negative as you make assumptions based on your background knowledge
what two types of stored knowledge help to rely on when considering mental state inference?
general knowledge (ex anyone would be scared to come face to face with a bear)
agent specific knowledge (ex john is a hunter and has experience with bears)
What is the false belief test?
experimental procedure that assesses whether a perceiver recognizes that another person has a false belief, one that contradicts reality
- difficult to children below 4
In the pyramid what are concepts, what are effortful processes and what are automatic psychological processes?
concepts: agent, intentional action, fear
automatic psychological processes: imitation, joint attention and projection
effortful processes: simulation and mental state inference
where is the mind-behaviour link very clear? what situation?
when people explain behaviour of others, trying to understand why others act the way they do
What is easier to explain: intentional or unintentional behaviours?
unintentional ex tripping, having a headache
what is needed in order for an agent to perform a behaviour intentionally?
must have:
- a desire for an outcome
- belief abt how actions will lead to the outcome
- intention to perform that action
what makes an action intentional?
it is performed with awareness and skill
An object that can move itself and work toward a goal is known as an ______
agent
Tomas uses a lot of hand gestures when he speaks with Cathy. Soon, Cathy unknowingly begins to use a lot of hand gestures in their conversation, too. This phenomenon is known as _________
mimicry
when do most ppl start developing ToM?
in the first year of life
The false-belief test is a procedure for determining if a child has developed what?
explicit mental state inference
