Stories, Theories, Minds

Reading Minds ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 152-162
Author(s):  
Henry M. Wellman
Keyword(s):  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Fictional Characters ◽  
Human Love

This concluding chapter sums up theory of mind by focusing on our human love of stories. All stories involve narratives, and all narratives involve situations and actions linked together by minds. Characters in fiction chart complicated paths and spin myriad thoughts. Yet people understand and identify with them easily. Theory of mind allows this to happen. Without the underpinning of mind, authors could not write fiction and readers could not understand it. Authors create credible fictional characters by fabricating for them wants, thoughts, feelings, plans, hopes, preferences, and actions that satisfy or thwart their intentions—all characteristics within the framework of ordinary theory of mind. This is why stories cannot be completely fictional. They must be based on an everyday psychology that a reader can understand or else there is nothing they can relate to.

Cynthia Ozick: Diverse Functions of Transitional Objects in Fiction

1996 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-221
Author(s):  
Leo Schneiderman
Keyword(s):  
Fictional Characters ◽  
Total Absorption ◽  
Transitional Objects ◽  
Developmental Needs ◽  
Cynthia Ozick ◽  
Love Relationships ◽  
Human Love ◽  
Self Acceptance ◽  
Trusting Relationships

The purpose of this article is to examine the role of transitional love objects in the lives of fictional adults, as depicted in the works of Cynthia Ozick. Ozick's protagonists are characterized by their symbiotic attachment to parent figures with whom they are unable to establish empathic and trusting relationships. In lieu of finding nurturance Ozick's fictional characters go in search of idealized love objects in the form of fetishes or idols, i.e., objects seeming to possess magical trustworthiness. Ozick warns against the choice of such narcissistically-determined, idolatrous objects, and extends her caveat even to human love relationships, with the implication that they are likely to prove disappointing. All of Ozick's fictional love objects represent partially differentiated, fetishistic extensions of the lover's self. These objects include a modern-day golem, idols, demons, witches, a tree, a shawl, and even a literary manuscript. Ozick clarifies the distinction between healthy self-love and self-acceptance and total absorption in the fetish as a soothing, symbolic substitute for satisfying unfulfilled developmental needs.

scholarly journals Processing Speech and Thoughts during Silent Reading: Direct Reference Effects for Speech by Fictional Characters in Voice-Selective Auditory Cortex and a Theory-of-Mind Network

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (9) ◽  
pp. 1637-1653
Author(s):  
Ben Alderson-Day ◽  
Jamie Moffatt ◽  
Marco Bernini ◽  
Kaja Mitrenga ◽  
Bo Yao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Auditory Cortex ◽  
Cognitive Neuroscience ◽  
Source Memory ◽  
Silent Reading ◽  
Direct Reference ◽  
Fictional Characters ◽  
Differential Processing ◽  
Indirect Speech ◽  
Fmri Study

Stories transport readers into vivid imaginative worlds, but understanding how readers create such worlds—populating them with characters, objects, and events—presents serious challenges across disciplines. Auditory imagery is thought to play a prominent role in this process, especially when representing characters' voices. Previous research has shown that direct reference to speech in stories (e.g., He said, “I'm over here”) may prompt spontaneous activation of voice-selective auditory cortex more than indirect speech [Yao, B., Belin, P., & Scheepers, C. Silent reading of direct versus indirect speech activates voice-selective areas in the auditory cortex. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 23, 3146–3152, 2011]. However, it is unclear whether this effect reflects differential processing of speech or differences in linguistic content, source memory, or grammar. One way to test this is to compare direct reference effects for characters speaking and thinking in a story. Here, we present a multidisciplinary fMRI study of 21 readers' responses to characters' speech and thoughts during silent reading of short fictional stories. Activations relating to direct and indirect references were compared for both speaking and thinking. Eye-tracking and independent localizer tasks (auditory cortex and theory of mind [ToM]) established ROIs in which responses to stories could be tracked for individuals. Evidence of elevated auditory cortex responses to direct speech over indirect speech was observed, replicating previously reported effects; no reference effect was observed for thoughts. Moreover, a direct reference effect specific to speech was also evident in regions previously associated with inferring intentions from communication. Implications are discussed for the spontaneous representation of fictional characters and the potential roles of inner speech and ToM in this process.

scholarly journals Theory of Mind and embedding of perspective

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas Whalen ◽  
Lisa Zunshine ◽  
Michael Holquist
Keyword(s):  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Literary Texts ◽  
Fictional Characters ◽  
Sweet Spot ◽  
Timing Error ◽  
Real People

Theory of Mind (ToM) has been proposed to explain social interactions, with real people but also with fictional characters, by interpreting their mind as well as our own. “Perspective embedding” exploits ToM by placing events in characters’ minds (e.g., “he remembered she was home”). Three levels of embedment, common in literature, may be a “sweet spot” that provides enough information about a character’s motivation, but not a confusing over-abundance. Here, we use short vignettes with 1 or 3 characters and 0–5 levels of perspective embedding in two reading studies to see whether these preferences might be related to processing ease. Self-paced readers were fastest with one level of embedment, increasingly slower as embedment increased; vignettes without embedment were approximately as slow as level 4. With both self-paced and imposed timing, error rates on probe questions increased only at the fifth level. Readers seem to prefer literary texts in which ToM operations are obvious due to embedding of perspectives within the narrative but still somewhat challenging.

Cognitive gadgets: A provocative but flawed manifesto

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
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.

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

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 257-264 ◽  
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.

Skalierung von “Theory of Mind“-Aufgaben

2006 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 186-195 ◽  
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.

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

2004 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-114 ◽  
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.

Lifespan Theory of Mind

2018 ◽  
Vol 226 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel M. Bernstein
Keyword(s):  
Theory Of Mind

ToM 101: A Guide to Mainstream Theory of Mind Research

PsycCRITIQUES ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 54 (15) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric P. Charles
Keyword(s):  
Theory Of Mind
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