Limits of Mindreading

1
Limits of Mindreading

• Theory theory and simulation theory
• Autism Mindblindness and how to explain it
• Schizophrenia Background and Langdon talk
• Failures in perspective taking Keysar and
  similar findings

2
Theory Theory

• Initial term (Premack Woodruff, 1978) was
  theory of mind.
• That term denoted an ability, relying on
  knowledge and inference.
• In philosophy, Stich (1983) and Churchland (1984)
  argued that a scientific theory of the mind
  concerns brain processes, not things like belief,
  desire, or intention. The latter concepts are
  part of folk psychology, the lay persons theory
  of how the mind works. This theory will
  eventually be supplanted by the scientific theory
  of the mind.
• It became common to see theory of mind as a
  (nonscientific) theory.

3

• Theories consist of assumptions about ontology
  (what exists) and general laws. Theory of mind
  therefore must consist of assumptions about
  beliefs, desires, intentions, and the like, plus
  laws about how these states relate to each
  other. Mindreading is an application of that
  theory, using general perception and inference
  processes.

4
Simulation Theory

• Against the assumption that mindreading is always
  an inference that uses the laws of a theory (the
  so-called theory theory), Gordon (1986), Heal
  (1985), and Goldman (1989) proposed simulation
  theory.
• Mindreading is the process of taking inputs from
  the context, perception, etc. into ones own
  mental system of planning, deciding, experiencing
  etc. and then deriving what the other person
  must plan, decide, or feel.
• Simulation need not be conscious.
• Simulation need not be right all the time.

5
Problems

• Problems with theory theory
• How does the child know which ontology to posit?
  
• What are those laws?
• Laws alone can never help ascribe specific mental
  states
• Increasing evidence that the self is involved in
  many ways
• Problems with simulation theory
• How does the child categorize streams of inner
  experiences into the right concepts of belief,
  desire, intention, etc.?
• We sometimes infer mental states for which we
  have no own experience. Isnt this theoretical
  inference?

6
An Integrative Model

• Theory refers to a conceptual framework.
• Intentionality, belief, desire, emotions, etc.
• That framework is implemented by various
  psychological processes inferences, simulations,
  spontaneous mimicry, involving own experiences as
  well as variously abstract laws and knowledge.
• The original concepts are constructed with input
  from the inside (increasing awareness and
  control) as well as the outside (observed action
  patterns, adult verbal responses)
• Deficits can therefore occur (a) in the
  conceptual framework and/or (b) in the processes
  that implement the framework.

7
Autism

• Deficit is partly in the conceptual framework
• Process of inference seem intact in other domains
• But also deficits in some processes simulation,
  spontaneous empathy.
• Deficits go back to lack of joint attention,
  pretend play, perhaps self-awareness.
• Puzzles
• Many autistic individuals have a desire concept
  and some basic emotion concepts. Why only those?
• Some autistic individuals have empathy for
  animals, not humans
• Some autistic individuals can compensate by using
  behavioral rules, knowledge, etc. (The pure form
  of theory theory!)

8
Schizophrenia

• Basic background
• 1 prevalence onset peaks at ages 20-30.
• Delusions, hallucinations, speech incoherence,
  catatonic behavior, flat/inappropriate affect
• Strongly genetic, dopamine and serotonin involved
• Friths hypothesis that schizophrenics have a
  theory of mind deficit
• Further background
• http//darkwing.uoregon.edu/bfmalle/212/handouts.
  htmlScroll down to last lecture on The
  Schizophrenias

9
Schizophrenia and ToM

• Frith (1992) proposed that central schizophrenic
  symptoms (apathy/catatonia, paranoia, auditory
  hallucinations, remote thought control) can be
  explained by a deficit in metarepresentation an
  inability to represent ones own intentions,
  other peoples intentions, and the difference
  between self-states and other-states.

10
Schizophrenia and ToM

• Evidence
• Most schizophrenic patients show deficits on
  mindreading measures.
• People with higher risk for schizophrenia show
  mindreading deficits as well
• Normal people with mindreading deficits also show
  tendencies of schizotypal personality and
  impoverished social interactions
• But there are problems

11
Failures in Perspective Taking

• Everyday mindreading lapses
• Making a wrong inference (following week)
• Not making any inference
• Being caught in ones own perceptions/experiences
• Spotlight effect and Illusion of transparency
• Attention to self vs. other asymmetries
• Boaz Keyzars research on the failure to take
  ones communication partners perspective
  Egocentric bias