Human-humanoid interaction by an intentional system

AbstractEthologists and others studying animal behavior in a “cognitive” spirit are in need of a descriptive language and method that are neither anachronistically bound by behaviorist scruples nor prematurely committed to particular “information-processing models.” Just such an interim descriptive method can be found in intentional system theory. The use of intentional system theory is illustrated with the case of the apparently communicative behavior of vervet monkeys. A way of using the theory to generate data - including usable, testable “anecdotal” data - is sketched. The underlying assumptions of this approach can be seen to ally it directly with “adaptationist” theorizing in evolutionary biology, which has recently come under attack from Stephen Gould and Richard Lewontin, who castigate it as the “Panglossian paradigm.” Their arguments, which are strongly analogous to B. F, Skinner's arguments against “mentalism,” point to certain pitfalls that attend the careless exercise of such “Panglossian” thinking (and rival varieties of thinking as well), but do not constitute a fundamental objection to either adaptationist theorizing or its cousin, intentional system theory.

Download Full-text

Rationality, Religion and Intentional Systems Theory: From Objective Ethnography to the Critical Study of Religious Beliefs

Method & Theory in the Study of Religion ◽

10.1163/157006809x460329 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

pp. 274-284

Author(s):

Matti Kappinen

Keyword(s):

System Theory ◽

Systems Theory ◽

Religious Beliefs ◽

Ethnographic Study ◽

Human Behaviour ◽

Critical Study ◽

Scientific Methods ◽

Intentional Systems ◽

Intentional System ◽

Critique Of Religion

AbstractRationality pervades the study of religion. This essay argues that rationality has three roles in this context. First, it functions as a presupposition in the ethnographic descriptions of religious behaviour; second, it functions as the explanatory principle in ethnography of religion; third, rationality functions as a normative tool in the critical assessments of religion. It is argued that all three roles are rooted in the Dennettian intentional system theory and are thus intricately linked with each other. It is further argued that any ethnographic study of religion that uses the best available scientific methods in the description and explanation of human behaviour, commits itself to the relative optimality of scientific outlook and to the critique of religion in principle.

Download Full-text

Adaptationist theorizing and intentional system theory

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x00016496 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 365-365

Author(s):

Gilbert Harman

Keyword(s):

System Theory ◽

Intentional System

Download Full-text

Redefining pragmatic competence among modular interactions and beyond

Intercultural Pragmatics ◽

10.1515/ip-2020-5004 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (5) ◽

pp. 605-631

Author(s):

Tiaoyuan Mao

Keyword(s):

Integrated Model ◽

Pragmatic Competence ◽

Sociocultural Factors ◽

Computational Results ◽

The Core ◽

Perfect System ◽

Sociocultural Contexts ◽

External Part ◽

Pragmatic Knowledge ◽

Intentional System

AbstractLanguage is a perfect system that satisfies the conditions imposed by the external performance/interpretive systems, but how the external systems interact with the core syntax is partially understood. With reference to Chomsky’s dichotomy of grammatical and pragmatic competences, this paper tentatively reformulates an integrated model of pragmatic competence, consisting of an internal and an external part. The former originates from the interaction of the internal syntactic submodule with external but organism-internal submodules, such as semantic, pragmatic and phonological-phonetic modules, and among three external submodules, thus creating thinking activities. The latter refers to the interaction between all organism-internal submodules and organism-external sociocultural factors, namely, mapping the computational results of the organism-internal submodules into the specific sociocultural contexts in communication. Meanwhile, this paper assumes an organism-internal pragmatic module in the Conceptual-Intentional system, providing linguistic and socio-cultural pragmatic knowledge in the operation of the internal and the external pragmatic competences, facilitating both pure thought and sociocultural communications.

Download Full-text

The Anterior Attentional–Intentional System in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease—A Pilot and Feasibility Study

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci11081013 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 1013

Author(s):

Paulina Beata Golińska ◽

Artur Józef Sawicki ◽

Łucja Bieleninik ◽

Mariola Bidzan

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Feasibility Study ◽

Mixed Model ◽

Comparison Group ◽

Reaction Times ◽

Similar Reaction ◽

Mixed Model Analysis ◽

Normal Cognition ◽

Intentional System

(1) Background: This study compared anterior attentional–intentional system performance between three groups: Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients with normal cognition (PD-NC), with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI), and a comparison group (CG). It also evaluated the feasibility of the recruitment and study procedures; (2) Methods: From 45 participants recruited, 39 were allocated (mean age 65.31; 43.59% men) to PD-NC, PD-MCI and CG (13 per group). To assess attention, we used three tasks from the ROtman–Baycrest Battery for Investigating Attention: Simple Reaction time (RT), Choice RT, and Prepare RT. We conducted a mixed-model analysis of variance with a 3 (groups) × 4 (tasks) design to compare reaction times; (3) Results: PD-MCI had slower reaction times than PD-NC (p = 0.028) and the CG (p = 0.052); there was no difference between PD-NC and CG. PD-MCI might perform worse on monitoring tasks than PD-NC, Z = −1.68, p = 0.092. Nearly half the volunteers from the CG and 87% of all eligible patients were enrolled in the study and completed all neuropsychological procedures; (4) Conclusions: General cognitive decline appears related to partial deficits in energization and tends to impair attentional monitoring. Furthermore, PD-NC exhibited similar reaction times to the CG. Results from the feasibility study contributed to the definitive study.

Download Full-text