Loading...
Please wait, while we are loading the content...
Similar Documents
Measuring how typical and atypical minds read other's intentions: Comment on "Seeing mental states: An experimental strategy for measuring the observability of other minds" by Cristina Becchio et al.
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Parma, Valentina Sartori, Luisa Castiello, Umberto |
| Copyright Year | 2018 |
| Abstract | Becchio et al. [1] propose a model to render other’s minds observable against the Unobservability Principle. Such model develops over four, distinct steps. First, it provides experimental evidence indicating that mental states (i.e., intentions) can be encoded in behavioral patterns (e.g., movement kinematics). Second, it provides strategies to test the efficiency of the quantification of such intention-related behavioral manifestations (i.e., resolution of the uncertainty between two intentions based on different patterns of accumulation of kinematic parameters). Third, it indicates specific features of the observed behavior that viewers use to detect different intentions (i.e., a series of decision rules based on kinematic features through which intention categorization occurs). Fourth, it proposes a manner to manipulate such specific behavioral features so that an observer can detect different intentions, based on how informative such behavioral features are. We see in this operational/experimental approach a significant contribution to the theoretical debate on the possibility to observe mental states, allowing the direct testing of the unobservability principle and therefore providing falsifiable hypotheses. Besides this already central aspect, we believe this approach holds promise to the elucidation of clinical open questions, such as those posed by autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Indeed, experimentally evaluating the ability to observe and manipulate other’s intentions allow us to quantify with high accuracy the deficits in the representation of other people’s minds that so chiefly characterize ASD as well as the outcomes of treatment options focusing on this aspect. Here we suggest a few clarifications and extensions of the proposed model which will make it possibly tailored for clinical applications. When considering the first step of the model, Becchio and colleagues argue that mentalistic information is perceptually available in the observed action. However, it is unclear whether the degree of conscious availability is being considered. In other words, must mentalistic information be consciously available for it to be perceived? This aspect becomes particularly relevant when considering the Theory of Mind (ToM) deficits evident in ASD. Indeed, it has |
| Starting Page | 111 |
| Ending Page | 113 |
| Page Count | 3 |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.plrev.2017.11.009 |
| PubMed reference number | 29122561 |
| Journal | Medline |
| Volume Number | 24 |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://nemolaboratory.com/nemo/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/2017_Parmaal_CommentOn-Becchioal_Physics-of-Life-Reviews.pdf |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plrev.2017.11.009 |
| Journal | Physics of life reviews |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
