Skip to content Skip to navigation
University of Warwick
  • Study
  • |
  • Research
  • |
  • Business
  • |
  • Alumni
  • |
  • News
  • |
  • About

University of Warwick
Publications service & WRAP

Highlight your research

  • WRAP
    • Home
    • Search WRAP
    • Browse by Warwick Author
    • Browse WRAP by Year
    • Browse WRAP by Subject
    • Browse WRAP by Department
    • Browse WRAP by Funder
    • Browse Theses by Department
  • Publications Service
    • Home
    • Search Publications Service
    • Browse by Warwick Author
    • Browse Publications service by Year
    • Browse Publications service by Subject
    • Browse Publications service by Department
    • Browse Publications service by Funder
  • Help & Advice
University of Warwick

The Library

  • Login
  • Admin

How to construct a minimal theory of mind

Tools
- Tools
+ Tools

Butterfill, Stephen A. (Stephen Andrew) and Apperly, Ian (2013) How to construct a minimal theory of mind. Mind and Language, Volume 28 (Number 5). pp. 606-637. doi:10.1111/mila.12036 ISSN 1468-0017.

Research output not available from this repository.

Request-a-Copy directly from author or use local Library Get it For Me service.

Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/(ISSN)1468-0017

Request Changes to record.

Abstract

What could someone represent that would enable her to track, at least within limits, others' perceptions, knowledge states and beliefs including false beliefs? An obvious possibility is that she might represent these very attitudes as such. It is sometimes tacitly or explicitly assumed that this is the only possible answer. However, we argue that several recent discoveries in developmental, cognitive, and comparative psychology indicate the need for other, less obvious possibilities. Our aim is to meet this need by describing the construction of a minimal theory of mind. Minimal theory of mind is rich enough to explain systematic success on tasks held to be acid tests for theory of mind cognition including many false belief tasks. Yet minimal theory of mind does not require representing propositional attitudes, or any other kind of representation, as such. Minimal theory of mind may be what enables those with limited cognitive resources or little conceptual sophistication, such as infants, chimpanzees, scrub-jays and human adults under load, to track others' perceptions, knowledge states and beliefs.

Item Type: Journal Article
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General)
B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BD Speculative Philosophy
Divisions: Faculty of Social Sciences > Philosophy
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): Philosophy of mind
Journal or Publication Title: Mind and Language
Publisher: Blackwell Publishing
ISSN: 1468-0017
Official Date: November 2013
Dates:
DateEvent
November 2013UNSPECIFIED
Volume: Volume 28
Number: Number 5
Page Range: pp. 606-637
DOI: 10.1111/mila.12036
Status: Peer Reviewed
Publication Status: Published
Access rights to Published version: Restricted or Subscription Access
Version or Related Resource: Butterfill, S. A. (2010). How to construct a minimal theory of mind. Philosophy Department, University of Magdeburg, 29 June 2010. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/41060
Related URLs:
  • Related item in WRAP

Request changes or add full text files to a record

Repository staff actions (login required)

View Item View Item
twitter

Email us: wrap@warwick.ac.uk
Contact Details
About Us