Mindreading and Social Cognition

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Suilin Lavelle
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Psychological States ◽  
The Core ◽  
Pluralist Approach

The cognitive ability to think about other people's psychological states is known as `mindreading'. This Element critiques assumptions that have been formative in shaping philosophical theories of mindreading: that mindreading is ubiquitous, underpinning the vast majority of our social interactions; and that its primary goal is to provide predictions and explanations of other people's behaviour. It begins with an overview of key positions and empirical literature in the debate. It then introduces and motivates the pluralist turn in this literature, which challenges the core assumptions of the traditional views. The second part of the Element uses case studies to further motivate the pluralist framework, and to advocate the pluralist approach as the best way to progress our understanding of social cognitive phenomena.

Supporting Social Interactions In Human-Ai Teams: Profiling Human Teammates From Sparse Data

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 665-669
Author(s):  
Rhyse Bendell ◽  
Jessica Williams ◽  
Stephen M. Fiore ◽  
Florian Jentsch
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Social Cognition ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Intelligent Agents ◽  
Social Intelligence ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Social Cues ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Human Agent

Artificial intelligence has been developed to perform all manner of tasks but has not gained capabilities to support social cognition. We suggest that teams comprised of both humans and artificially intelligent agents cannot achieve optimal team performance unless all teammates have the capacity to employ social-cognitive mechanisms. These form the foundation for generating inferences about their counterparts and enable execution of informed, appropriate behaviors. Social intelligence and its utilization are known to be vital components of human-human teaming processes due to their importance in guiding the recognition, interpretation, and use of the signals that humans naturally use to shape their exchanges. Although modern sensors and algorithms could allow AI to observe most social cues, signals, and other indicators, the approximation of human-to-human social interaction -based upon aggregation and modeling of such cues is currently beyond the capacity of potential AI teammates. Partially, this is because humans are notoriously variable. We describe an approach for measuring social-cognitive features to produce the raw information needed to create human agent profiles that can be operated upon by artificial intelligences.

scholarly journals Gender as Embedded Social Cognition

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Diekman ◽  
Toni Schmader
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Social Cognition ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
The Self ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Gender Categories ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Gendered Expectations

We examine gender as a cultural construct enacted through social cognitive processes that are embedded within the self, social interactions, and societal institutions. The embeddedness perspective elaborates how the binary gender categorization can create quite real gendered outcomes and experiences even if gender differences are not biologically essential. These categories take on a reality outside of the mind of perceivers because the meanings attached to gender categories are shared by others in the culture, enacted in social interactions, internalized into self-views, and maintained by social systems. Societal institutions explicitly and implicitly organize around gender, producing gendered norms, roles, and expectations. These norms, roles, and expectations shape the nature of interpersonal interactions both within and across gender lines and an individual’s self-selected experiences. Critically, these social interactions and personal choices in turn create behavioral and cognitive confirmation of the gendered expectations of others. Gendered expectations and experiences become internalized into the self, including one’s own self-concept and gender identity. We close by examining implications of this perspective for gender differences and similarities in social cognition, as well as malleability and stability in gender cognitions and outcomes.

Self-Referential Processing Predicts Social Cognitive Ability

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-107
Author(s):  
Stejara Dinulescu ◽  
Talha Alvi ◽  
David Rosenfield ◽  
Cecile S. Sunahara ◽  
Junghee Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Empathic Accuracy ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Referential Processing ◽  
Behavioral Assessments ◽  
Behavioral Evidence ◽  
The Relationship

Self-referential processing is critical for making sense of others. However, there remains surprisingly little research examining associations between behavioral assessments of self-referential processing and social cognition (i.e., tasks assessing one’s understanding of others’ thoughts and emotions). This study ( n = 396) examined this link by associating accuracy in a self-referential processing task with two assessments of social cognition (i.e., theory of mind and empathic accuracy). Exploratory analyses included an examination of the relationship between self-referential processing and autism-related traits, as well as depression symptoms, both of which have been previously associated with decreased social cognitive ability. Self-referential processing was positively related to performance in both social cognition tasks, and these relationships were not valence-specific or moderated by gender. Moreover, no associations were found between self-referential processing and autism-related traits or depressive symptoms. Our findings provide behavioral evidence for a relation between self-referential processing and social cognition.

Disorganization and Social Cognition: Data from the Italian Network of Research on Psychoses

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S39-S40
Author(s):  
P. Rocca
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Social Functioning ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
The Core ◽  
Competing Interest ◽  
Socially Relevant ◽  
Multi Center Study

Social cognition (SC) refers broadly to the domains of cognitive functions that are employed in socially relevant situations. These disturbances have been found to be strongly related to disorganized and negative symptoms in schizophrenia. Each of the disorganization symptoms suggests a diminishment or absence of organization. There seems to be a loss of the ability to be directed toward or committed to a particular focal topic or goal. Such conditions are likely to impact patients’ drives or motivations to initiate goal-directed activities that could yield pleasurable opportunities. Moreover, it has been suggested that disorganized symptoms are an integral link in cognitive pathways, with connections between cognitive processes weakening as disorganized symptoms increase. Thus, it seems that when disorganized symptoms are present, people with schizophrenia are no longer able to effectively utilize the neurocognitive abilities necessary for performing social cognitive or metacognitive tasks. It is also in line with models of disorganization in schizophrenia (Bleuler, 1911) that a “loosening of associations”—similar to current conceptualizations of disorganized symptoms—is at the core of these cognitive disruptions. Previous research has linked disorganization to cognition (neurocognition and SC) and cognition to social functioning, although in separate studies. The present study was conducted to explore a model, where disorganization predicted social functioning both directly both through indirect effects on other determinants (neurocognition, SC and negative symptoms) in a large, and well-characterized sample of patients with schizophrenia recruited in the context of a multi-center study of the Italian Network for Research on Psychoses (NIRP).Disclosure of interestThe author declares that he has no competing interest.

scholarly journals Primate Social Cognition and the Core Human Knowledge Concept

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Turri
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Recent Work ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Comparative Psychology ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Core Knowledge ◽  
The Core ◽  
Sensory Modalities ◽  
In Virtue Of ◽  
Folk Epistemology

I review recent work from armchair and cross-cultural epistemology on whether humans possess a knowledge concept as part of a universal “folk epistemology.” The work from armchair epistemology fails because it mischaracterizes ordinary knowledge judgments. The work from cross-cultural epistemology provides some defeasible evidence for a universal folk epistemology. I argue that recent findings from comparative psychology establish that humans possess a species-typical knowledge concept. More specifically, recent work shows that knowledge attributions are a central part of primate social cognition, used to predict others’ behavior and guide decision-making. The core primate knowledge concept is that of truth detection (across different sensory modalities) and retention (through memory) and may also include rudimentary forms of indirect truth discovery through inference. In virtue of their evolutionary heritage, humans inherited the primate social-cognitive system and thus share this core knowledge concept.

scholarly journals A study examining whether social cognitive abilities impact on recovery from PTSD

BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S302-S302
Author(s):  
Chantelle Wiseman ◽  
Jonathan Bisson ◽  
Anke Karl ◽  
Andrew Lawrence ◽  
James Hotham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Symptom Severity ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Public Involvement ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Ptsd Symptom ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
Ptsd Symptom Severity ◽  
Spearman’S Correlation

AimsDeficits in social cognition (the ability to recognise and understand emotions, intentions and actions in oneself and in others) have been found in people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Few studies so far have examined whether social cognitive ability impacts on PTSD recovery. Here we present a protocol and preliminary data for a study that aims to evaluate whether pre-treatment social cognitive deficits are associated with treatment outcomes following trauma-focused therapy for PTSD.MethodThe protocol was developed after discussion with Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) groups, and a battery of social cognitive tasks was trialled on 20 participants without PTSD. The final protocol was then developed using information and feedback from these preliminary studies. We aim to recruit 60 individuals who are about to start a trauma-focused therapy for PTSD within the two tertiary PTSD services. Social cognition (measured using a variety of tasks including Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task and the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire) and potential confounders (including severity of trauma history, attachment and verbal IQ) are assessed at baseline, prior to the start of therapy. PTSD symptom severity (measured using the PCL-5) and daily functioning (measured using the WSAS) are assessed pre and post-treatment. The primary aim of the study is to examine whether baseline social cognition is associated with the degree of improvement in the PCL-5.ResultSo far 29 participants have been recruited and consented. 6 participants have completed follow-up assessments. The study has been adapted for the COVID-19 pandemic so participants can complete the tasks remotely. Preliminary results show a moderate negative correlation between baseline social cognitive abilities and baseline PTSD symptom severity (Spearman's correlation -0.30) and functional abilities (Spearman's correlation -0.42).ConclusionDevelopment of our study in collaboration with PPI and preliminary testing of measures suggests it is likely that it will be feasible for us to conduct this study in this patient group. Baseline preliminary results show/suggest a moderate correlation between PTSD symptom severity and social cognitive impairment. Our main analyses, when completed, will help to determine whether social cognitive ability is associated with recovery from PTSD.

scholarly journals Primate Social Cognition and the Core Human Knowledge Concept

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Turri
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Recent Work ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Comparative Psychology ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Core Knowledge ◽  
The Core ◽  
Sensory Modalities ◽  
In Virtue Of ◽  
Folk Epistemology

The author reviews recent work from armchair and cross-cultural epistemology on whether humans possess a knowledge concept as part of a universal “folk epistemology.” The work from armchair epistemology fails because it mischaracterizes ordinary knowledge judgments. The work from cross-cultural epistemology provides some defeasible evidence for a universal folk epistemology. He argues that recent findings from comparative psychology establish that humans possess a species-typical knowledge concept. More specifically, recent work shows that knowledge attributions are a central part of primate social cognition, used to predict others’ behavior and guide decision-making. The core primate knowledge concept is that of truth detection (across different sensory modalities) and retention (through memory), and may also include rudimentary forms of indirect truth discovery through inference. In virtue of their evolutionary heritage, humans inherited the primate social-cognitive system and thus share this core knowledge concept.

Invisible Mind

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lasana T. Harris
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Developmental Psychology ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Social Rules ◽  
Athletic Competition ◽  
Fitness Advantage

Why do people engage in pro and anti-social behaviour? Invisible Mind takes an interdisciplinary approach to address this question, among others, by focussing on the spontaneous psychological ability social cognition, and its inherent flexibility. People get inside the minds—infer the mental states—of others, including non-human agents and animals. Such social cognition is necessary for recognising another as a full human being, deserving of being included in the boundaries of moral protection, encouraging obedience to moral and social rules during social interactions. People can also withhold social cognition from other people, resulting a dehumanized perception, or extend it to non-human agents, resulting anthropomorphism. Harris argues that this flexibility is functional; social cognition evolved when people lived in much smaller groups, suggesting flexibility provided a fitness advantage specific to such a social environment, but may be occasionally maladaptive in modern societies. He reviews social, cognitive, evolutionary, and developmental psychology that supports this claim, before considering the implications of flexible social cognition for economics, legal theories, practice, and policy, international disputes, and athletic competition. He then explores what might be the consequences of flexible social cognition in modern societies where technology facilitates social communication and interaction.

scholarly journals Factor Structure of Social Cognition in Schizophrenia: Is Empathy Preserved?

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Corbera ◽  
Bruce E. Wexler ◽  
Satoru Ikezawa ◽  
Morris D. Bell
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Social Performance ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Cognitive Measures ◽  
Social Cognitive Processing ◽  
Core Features

Social cognitive impairments are core features of schizophrenia and are closely associated with poor functional outcome. This study sought to identify specific aspects of social cognition and their relationships to measures of social function, quality of life, and neurocognition. Principal component analysis was performed using social cognitive measures in patients with schizophrenia and healthy matched controls and revealed three factors: Interpersonal Discomfort, Basic Social Cognition, and Empathy. Patients had higher scores on Interpersonal Discomfort and lower scores on Basic Social Cognition than controls, but the two groups were the same on Empathy. Lower social performance was significantly correlated with poor Basic Social Cognition in patients and with high Interpersonal Discomfort in controls. While neurocognition was significantly associated with Basic Social Cognition in both groups, it was not associated with Empathy. Social cognitive interventions should emphasize improving basic social cognitive processing deficits, managing Interpersonal Discomfort, and utilizing preserved capacity for empathy as a potential strength in social interactions.

Understanding Others to Learn and Help Others Learn

2019 ◽  
pp. 167-190
Author(s):  
Hyowon Gweon
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Social Learning ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Young Age ◽  
Effective Learning ◽  
Learning From Others ◽  
Rational Decisions

Through learning from others and sharing what we know in our everyday social interactions, we learn things that go far beyond what we can directly experience. What makes human social learning so distinctive, powerful, and effective? This chapter reviews recent developmental evidence on how our understanding of others—basic aspects of human social cognition—can support effective learning and communication. Even at a young age, humans show remarkable abilities to reason about others’ minds to (1) draw sophisticated inferences from information provided by others, (2) use such information to evaluate others’ informativeness, and (3) actively teach and communicate information to others. These studies suggest that human social learning is rooted in the basic social-cognitive abilities to understand what others want, need, and know, as well as what is useful or costly for others. Such abilities allow even young children to make flexible and rational decisions to learn from others and teach others, providing foundations for the development of distinctively human social learning.

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