Theory of mind

Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science (2017)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Theory of mind” consists in the ability to use concepts of intentional mental states, such as beliefs, emotions, intentions, goals, and perceptual states, in order to predict and interpret behavior. Functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have revealed a distinctive network of neural regions that is active during theory-of-mind tasks, including the temporal-parietal junction, the posterior superior temporal sulcus, the medial prefrontal cortex, the precuneus, and the temporal poles (Van Overwalle 2009). Deficits in theory-of-mind abilities, which are common in autism spectrum disorder (Tager-Flusberg 2007), typically correlate with broader difficulties in social understanding. Many scholars have suggested that theory of mind is an innate adaptation for social cognition, emerging very early in development and playing a crucial role in social learning and the acquisition of language (Baron-Cohen 1997). However, others have argued that theory of mind is the product of largely domain-general learning processes and is acquired gradually over the course development through social experience (Wellman 2014). A third view argues that humans possess two systems for theory of mind: an innate, domain-specific “implicit” system and a learned, domain-general “explicit” system (Apperly and Butterfill 2009).

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,616

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Folk psychology as mental simulation.Luca Barlassina & Robert M. Gordon - 2017 - The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Knowing me, knowing you: Theory of mind and the machinery of introspection.Philip Robbins - 2004 - Journal of Consciousness Studies 11 (7-8):129-143.
Knowing Me, Knowing You: Theory of Mind and the Machinery of Introspection.Philip Robbins - 2004 - Journal of Consciousness Studies 11 (7-8):129-143.
Consciousness and Theory of Mind: a Common Theory?Miguel Ángel Sebastián - 2016 - Theoria: Revista de Teoría, Historia y Fundamentos de la Ciencia 31 (1):73-89.
Morality without mindreading.Susana Monsó - 2017 - Mind and Language 32 (3):338-357.
Embodied cognition and mindreading.Shannon Spaulding - 2010 - Mind and Language 25 (1):119-140.
Mind Misreading.Shannon Spaulding - 2016 - Philosophical Issues 26 (1).
Social Understanding without Mentalizing.Julian Kiverstein - 2011 - Philosophical Topics 39 (1):41-65.
Signature Limits in Mindreading Systems.J. Robert Thompson - 2014 - Cognitive Science 38 (7):1432-1455.
Understanding the Immediacy of Other Minds.Nivedita Gangopadhyay & Alois Pichler - 2017 - European Journal of Philosophy 25 (4):1305-1326.

Analytics

Added to PP
2019-08-22

Downloads
28 (#490,139)

6 months
10 (#135,615)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author Profiles

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references