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Theory of mind, or'mindreading'as it is termed in this book, is the ability to think about beliefs, desires, knowledge and intentions. It has been studied extensively by developmental and comparative psychologists and more recently by neuroscientists and cognitive psychologists. This book is the first to draw together these diverse findings in an account of the cognitive basis of'theory of mind', and establishes the systematic study of these abilities in adults as a new field of enquiry.Apperly focuses on perceptions, knowledge and beliefs as paradigm cases of mindreading, and uses this as a basis from which more general lessons can be drawn. The book argues that an account of the cognitive basis of mindreading is necessary for making sense of findings from neuroscience and developmental and comparative psychology, as well as for understanding how mindreading fits more broadly into the cognitive system. It questions standard philosophical accounts of mindreading, and suggests a move away from the notion that it consists simply of having a'theory of mind'. This unique study into the cognitive basis of mindreading will be ideal reading for academics and advanced students from the diverse disciplines that have studied theory of mind in particular, and social cognition more generally.

This book argues that our success in navigating the social world depends heavily on scripts. Scripts play a central role in our ability to understand social interactions shaped by different contextual factors.In philosophy of social cognition, scholars have asked what mechanisms we employ when interacting with other people or when cognizing about other people. Recent approaches acknowledge that social cognition and interaction depend heavily on contextual, cultural, and social factors that contribute to the way individuals make sense of the social interactions they take part in. This book offers the first integrative account of scripts in social cognition and interaction. It argues that we need to make contextual factors and social identity central when trying to explain how social interaction works, and that this is possible via scripts. Additionally, scripts can help us understand bias and injustice in social interaction. The author's approach combines several different areas of philosophy – philosophy of mind, social epistemology, feminist philosophy – as well as sociology and psychology to show why paying attention to injustice in interaction is much needed in social cognition research, and in philosophy of mind more generally.Scripts and Social Cognition: How We Interact with Others will appeal to scholars and graduate students working in philosophy of mind, philosophy of psychology, social epistemology, social ontology, sociology, and social psychology.

Los científicos cognitivos acuñaron el término “teoría de la mente” para describir nuestra comprensión cotidiana de los estados mentales: nuestras esperanzas, sueños, intenciones, pensamientos y deseos. Durante los últimos veinticinco años los investigadores han proporcionado datos enriquecedores y provocativos que muestran que, desde una temprana edad, los niños desarrollan una teoría de la mente sofisticada y coherente al atribuir deseos, creencias y emociones a sí mismos y a otros. Notablemente, los bebés de apenas unos meses de edad pueden prestar atención a otros seres humanos y sus acciones intencionales; los niños de dos años pueden articular sus propios deseos y sentimientos y los de los demás; y los niños de tres y cuatro años pueden hablar de pensamientos de forma abstracta y participar en mentiras y engaños; a partir de ahí se desarrollan conceptos aún más sofisticados de la mente. Este libro ofrece un examen profundo de cómo se desarrolla esta notable, aunque común, teoría de la mente. Basándose en su investigación pionera en The Child's Theory of Mind (1990), Henry Wellman informa sobre todo lo que hemos aprendido en los últimos veinticinco años, con capítulos sobre bebés y niños pequeños, evolución, las bases cerebrales de la teoría de la mente, actualizaciones de las explicaciones de la “teoría de la teoría”, y consideraciones de desarrollos teóricos posteriores, incluyendo cómo los niños conciben mentes extraordinarias como las que pertenecen a superhéroes o seres sobrenaturales. De gran alcance y redactado de una manera accesible, el trabajo de Wellman cautivará especialmente a los investigadores y estudiantes que trabajan en psicología, filosofía, estudios culturales, y ciencias cognitivas y de desarrollo.

How do we understand other people's minds? This question has been discussed intensively in the theory of mind debate. ‘Theory of mind'is defined as the capacity to attribute mental states to oneself and to others and to make use of that capacity in behavior understanding. This book offers a critical analysis of a variety of tasks that have been conducted to investigate the development of a theory of mind in children. The heart of the book is a pluralistic account of social understanding. Rather than relying on a default procedure of social understanding (e.g., theory or simulation), individuals understand the behavior of another person in various ways dependent on their cognitive competencies and the socio-situational context. As a rule of thumb, individuals are prone to make use of that procedure that is cognitively least effortful to them in a given context. Covering a wide range of studies, the implications of the pluralistic account are discussed with respect to culture and psychopathology. Finally, the book points to the role that social interaction may play in social understanding.

Developmental psychologists coined the term'theory of mind'to describe how we understand our shifting mental states in daily life. Over the past twenty years researchers have provided rich, provocative data showing that from an early age, children develop a sophisticated and consistent'theory of mind'by attributing their desires, beliefs, and emotions to themselves and to others. Remarkably, infants barely a few months old are able to attend closely to other humans; two-year-olds can articulate the desires and feelings of others and comfort those in distress; and three- and four-year-olds can talk about thoughts abstractly and engage in lies and trickery. This book provides a deeper examination of how'theory of mind'develops. Building on his pioneering research in The Child's Theory of Mind (1990), Henry M. Wellman reports on all that we have learned in the past twenty years with chapters on evolution and the brain bases of theory of mind, and updated explanations of theory theory and later theoretical developments, including how children conceive of extraordinary minds such as those belonging to superheroes or supernatural beings. Engaging and accessibly written, Wellman's work will appeal especially to scholars and students working in psychology, philosophy, cultural studies, and social cognition.