P.0211 Functional interactions within the theory of mind neural system during interaction with anonymous opponents

Neuroimaging studies have identified the anterior paracingulate cortex (PCC) as the key prefrontal region subserving theory of mind. We adopt an evolutionary perspective hypothesizing that, in response to the pressures of social complexity, a mechanism for manipulating information concerning social interaction has emerged in the anterior PCC. To date, neuroimaging studies have not properly distinguished between intentions of persons involved in social interactions and intentions of an isolated person. In two separate fMRI experiments, we demonstrated that the anterior PCC is not necessarily involved in the understanding of other people's intentions per se, but primarily in the understanding of the intentions of people involved in social interaction. Moreover, this brain region showed activation when a represented intention implies social interaction and therefore had not yet actually occurred. This result suggests that the anterior PCC is also involved in our ability to predict future intentional social interaction, based on an isolated agent's behavior. We conclude that distinct areas of the neural system underlying theory of mind are specialized in processing distinct classes of social stimuli.

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Two Takes on the Social Brain: A Comparison of Theory of Mind Tasks

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience ◽

10.1162/jocn.2007.19.11.1803 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 19 (11) ◽

pp. 1803-1814 ◽

Cited By ~ 267

Author(s):

Maria Ida Gobbini ◽

Aaron C. Koralek ◽

Ronald E. Bryan ◽

Kimberly J. Montgomery ◽

James V. Haxby

Keyword(s):

Theory Of Mind ◽

Mirror Neuron System ◽

Mental States ◽

Superior Temporal Sulcus ◽

Neural System ◽

False Belief ◽

Fusiform Gyrus ◽

Neural Systems ◽

General Role ◽

The Social

We compared two tasks that are widely used in research on mentalizing—false belief stories and animations of rigid geometric shapes that depict social interactions—to investigate whether the neural systems that mediate the representation of others' mental states are consistent across these tasks. Whereas false belief stories activated primarily the anterior paracingulate cortex (APC), the posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus (PCC/PC), and the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ)—components of the distributed neural system for theory of mind (ToM)—the social animations activated an extensive region along nearly the full extent of the superior temporal sulcus, including a locus in the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), as well as the frontal operculum and inferior parietal lobule (IPL)—components of the distributed neural system for action understanding—and the fusiform gyrus. These results suggest that the representation of covert mental states that may predict behavior and the representation of intentions that are implied by perceived actions involve distinct neural systems. These results show that the TPJ and the pSTS play dissociable roles in mentalizing and are parts of different distributed neural systems. Because the social animations do not depict articulated body movements, these results also highlight that the perception of the kinematics of actions is not necessary to activate the mirror neuron system, suggesting that this system plays a general role in the representation of intentions and goals of actions. Furthermore, these results suggest that the fusiform gyrus plays a general role in the representation of visual stimuli that signify agency, independent of visual form.

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Cognitive gadgets: A provocative but flawed manifesto

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x19001134 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 42 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Marco Del Giudice

Keyword(s):

Theory Of Mind ◽

Cultural Differences ◽

Twin Studies ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Evolutionary Approach ◽

Genetic Inheritance ◽

Double Standards ◽

Cross Cultural Differences ◽

Cherry Picking ◽

Dichotomous Thinking

Abstract The argument against innatism at the heart of Cognitive Gadgets is provocative but premature, and is vitiated by dichotomous thinking, interpretive double standards, and evidence cherry-picking. I illustrate my criticism by addressing the heritability of imitation and mindreading, the relevance of twin studies, and the meaning of cross-cultural differences in theory of mind development. Reaching an integrative understanding of genetic inheritance, plasticity, and learning is a formidable task that demands a more nuanced evolutionary approach.

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Predicting spatial activity patterns in a neural map from a probabilistic atlas of 3-D reconstructed neurons

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100140439 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 53 ◽

pp. 812-813

Author(s):

G. Jacobs ◽

F. Theunissen

Keyword(s):

Activity Patterns ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Sensory System ◽

Neural System ◽

Probabilistic Atlas ◽

Uniform Sample ◽

Dimensional Reconstruction ◽

The Time Domain ◽

And Function ◽

Visualization Techniques

In order to understand how the algorithms underlying neural computation are implemented within any neural system, it is necessary to understand details of the anatomy, physiology and global organization of the neurons from which the system is constructed. Information is represented in neural systems by patterns of activity that vary in both their spatial extent and in the time domain. One of the great challenges to microscopists is to devise methods for imaging these patterns of activity and to correlate them with the underlying neuroanatomy and physiology. We have addressed this problem by using a combination of three dimensional reconstruction techniques, quantitative analysis and computer visualization techniques to build a probabilistic atlas of a neural map in an insect sensory system. The principal goal of this study was to derive a quantitative representation of the map, based on a uniform sample of afferents that was of sufficient size to allow statistically meaningful analyses of the relationships between structure and function.

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Are Deficits in Social Cognition Linked to Autobiographical Memory in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease?

Zeitschrift für Neuropsychologie ◽

10.1024/1016-264x/a000187 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 27 (4) ◽

pp. 257-264 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Johannes H. Scheidemann ◽

Franz Petermann ◽

Marc Schipper

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Social Cognition ◽

Theory Of Mind ◽

Autobiographical Memory ◽

Positive Relationship ◽

Neuropsychological Test ◽

Clinical Group ◽

Neuropsychological Test Battery ◽

Fluency Task

Abstract. We investigated theory of mind (ToM) deficits in Alzheimer‘s disease (AD) and its possible connection to autobiographical memory (ABM). Patients and matched controls were evaluated and compared using a video-based ToM test, an autobiographical fluency task, and a neuropsychological test battery. We found that ToM deficits were positively associated with semantic ABM in the clinical group, whereas a positive relationship appeared between ToM and episodic ABM in controls. We hypothesize that this reflects the course of the disease as well as that semantic ABM is used for ToM processing, being still accessible in AD. Furthermore, we assume that it is also less efficient, which in turn leads to a specific deficit profile of social cognition.

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Skalierung von “Theory of Mind“-Aufgaben

Zeitschrift für Entwicklungspsychologie und Pädagogische Psychologie ◽

10.1026/0049-8637.38.4.186 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 38 (4) ◽

pp. 186-195 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Susanne Kristen ◽

Claudia Thoermer ◽

Tanja Hofer ◽

Gisa Aschersleben ◽

Beate Sodian

Keyword(s):

Theory Of Mind ◽

Fand Sich

Zusammenfassung. Die von Wellman und Liu (2004) für den englischsprachigen Raum entwickelte “Theory of Mind“-Skala wurde in einer Übersetzung ( Hofer & Aschersleben, 2004 ) an einer Stichprobe von 107 3- bis 5-jährigen Kindern validiert. Sowohl die Annahme einer einheitlichen konzeptuellen Progression als auch die Skalenpassung konnten repliziert werden. Abweichend von Wellman und Liu (2004) fand sich ein Effekt der Aufgabenfolge mit einer besseren Skalenpassung und insgesamt besserer Performanz bei nach Schwierigkeit ansteigender Präsentation. Insgesamt sprechen die Befunde dafür, dass die deutsche Version der “Theory of Mind“-Skala die Entwicklung der begrifflichen Erschließung des mentalen Bereichs im Vorschulalter adäquat abbildet und eine zuverlässige Methode darstellt, den individuellen Stand der “Theory of Mind“-Entwicklung zu messen.

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Bleibt die Spezifität der Beziehung zwischen Theory of mind und inhibitorischer Kontrolle über die Lebensspanne bestehen?

Zeitschrift für Entwicklungspsychologie und Pädagogische Psychologie ◽

10.1026/0049-8637.36.2.105 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 36 (2) ◽

pp. 105-114 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Athanasios Chasiotis ◽

Florian Kießling

Keyword(s):

Theory Of Mind ◽

Sozioökonomischer Status

Zusammenfassung. Eine Reihe neuerer Untersuchungen zur Beziehung zwischen der Entwicklung der kindlichen “theory of mind“ (TOM) und inhibitorischer Fähigkeiten weisen auf einen engen Zusammenhang beider Konstrukte hin, der selbst nach Kontrolle signifikanter Einflussvariablen wie verbale Intelligenz, Geburtsrang und sozioökonomischer Status bestehen bleibt. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird an zwei Stichproben explorativ untersucht, ob sich dieser für das Kindesalter bekannte Zusammenhang auch im Erwachsenenalter zeigt. Zur Erfassung der TOM im Erwachsenenalter wurden Geschichten verwendet, die das mentalistische Verständnis komplexer sozialer Situationen erfordern. Als Maß für die inhibitorischen Fähigkeiten im Erwachsenenalter wurde die Leistung im für Erwachsene modifizierten Selbstregulations- und Konzentrationstest (SRKT-K, Kuhl und Kraska, 1992 ) erhoben. Während die aus der Kindheit bekannten Kontextvariablen im Erwachsenenalter über beide Stichproben hinweg keine konsistente Rolle spielten, ließ sich der bereits im Kindesalter spezifische Zusammenhang zwischen mentalistischer Kompetenz und inhibitorischen Fähigkeiten auch im Erwachsenenalter nachweisen.

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