Inter-disciplinary
studies of ToM religion
& inter-species ToM
Religion & inter-species ToM
Readings
O Norenzayan, A., Gervais, W. M., &
Trzesniewski, K. H. (2012). Mentalizing
deficits constrain belief in a personal God.
(T. Zalla, Ed.) PLoS ONE, 7(5) =, e36880
O Premack, D., & Woodruff, G. (1978). Does
the chimpanzee have a theory of mind? The
Behavioural and Brain Sciences, 4, 515,
526.
Inter species – primates
O Primates
O https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExEjXL
Md4VA
Frans de Waal – Moral
behaviour in monkeys
Two main camps
Ponvinelli et al
Chimps possesses a
behaviouristic rather
than a true
mentalistic
understanding of
others
Tomasello et al
Chimps do
understand
psychological states
in others and the
question is: which
ones and to what
extent
Department of Developmental and Comparative Psychology
The Department of Developmental and Comparative Psychology investigates
cognitive and social-cognitive processes in humans and their nearest primate
relatives. Of special interest are the uniquely human cognitive, social-cognitive,
and symbolic processes involved in cultural learning and creation. The
department has three main areas of research: the Ontogeny of Human Social
Cognition, the Acquisition of Language, and Primate Cognition.
Call, J., & Tomasello, M. (2008). Does the chimpanzee
have a theory of mind? 30 years later. Trends in cognitive
sciences, 12(5), 187–92.
O They understand goals
and intentions of others
as well as hold
perception and
knowledge of others.
ToM??
O goals and intentions of others
O perception and knowledge of others
O But no evidence of False Belief
understanding
Povinelli Chimps lab
O Chimps only understand surface level behaviours
O Study on joint attention: 1 year olds, 2 year olds and
chimpanzees
O Social prompt
O Physical prompt
O Similarities: 1 year olds and chimps only showed carry
over effect in the event with social cues
O Differences between 1 year olds and chimps: social
communication
Frans de Waal
Sharing of states of mind through bodily
communication? (versus cognitive)
Immediacy of emphatic responses: empathyfeeling
of another one’s state not based on
cognitive deduction.
Bottom-up view
“The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of
Humanism Among the Primates” by Frans de Waal
Campbell et al. 2009:
empathy, involuntary identification and motor mimicry
Romero, T., Castellanos,
M. a, & de Waal, F. B. M.
(2010). Consolation as
possible expression of
sympathetic concern
among chimpanzees.
Proceedings of the
National Academy of
Sciences of the United
States of America,
107(27), 12110–5.
Horner & Whiten (2005) Causal knowledge and imitation/emulation in
chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and children (Homo sapiens)
O Possible greater susceptibility to
cultural conventions
O Differential focus on results,
actions and goals of
demonstrator
Dogs and the yawn contagion
Inter species – avian:
western scrub-jays
O Counter strategies used to
prevent pilfering of their
cached food from others:
O Behind barriers
O Use shade and distance to
reduce what others can see
O Use numerous caching sites
O Recaching when observed or
after stealing another’s cache
O Recaching- experience projection.
O Simulation by mental attribution of other
birds since naïve birds do not do this
Inter species – avian:
native New Zealand Robins
“Evidence suggesting that desire-state attribution may govern food sharing in
Eurasian jays.” By Ljerka Ostojić, Rachael C. Shaw, Lucy G. Cheke, and Nicola S.
Clayton. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 110 No. 6, February
5, 2013.
THEORY OF MIND
&
RELIGION
Religion
O Religion: organised collection of belief
systems, cultural systems and world views
that relate to spirituality and sometimes
moral values
O Religious beliefs and behaviours
Religion
O Largely about intentional agents that one
does not physically encounter.
O Possible that- Representation of
supernatural agents activates and modifies
inference systems involved in the
representation of ordinary human agents.
O Prayers
O Rituals
Rituals: risk aversion, seek
favours…
Mauritius, April 2012
Singapore
January,
2013
Norenzayan et al.
O Religious believers intuitively conceptualize
deities as intentional agents with mental states
who anticipate and respond to human beliefs,
desires and concerns.
O Believers intuitively treat gods as intentional
agents with mental states who enter into social
relationships with humans, using supernatural
powers to assuage existential concerns, respond
to human desires, and monitor their social
behaviour
Mentally representing supernatural beings
(and their mental states) requires mentalizing
capacities.
O Agency detection
O Ascribing mental states
O Predicting behaviour
Religious primes
Ali Ahmed (University of Uppsala)
Schjoedt, U., Stodkilde-Jorgensen, H., Geertz, a. W., &
Roepstorff, a. (2009). Highly religious participants recruit
areas of social cognition in personal prayer. Social Cognitive
and Affective Neuroscience, 4(2), 199–207.
doi:10.1093/scan/nsn050
Dimitris Xygalatas
http://www.levyna.cz/
Existential ToM
O Bering, J. (2002). The existential Theory of
Mind. Review of General Psychology, 6(1),
3–24.
O Built on foundation of ‘traditional’ ToM, it
does not serve to explain or predict
behaviour
O Rather to allow individuals to attribute
meaning to certain autobiographical
experiences
Existential ToM
O Biologically based, generic explanatory
system
O Interpretive perception of natural events
as symbolic of communicative attempts
of culturally elaborated psychological
agency (e.g. God)
Berring (2002)
O Ascribed intentionality
behind the gestures
lend the gestures itself
meaning
O Meaning stems from
the mind of the
intended source
Ability to mentalise and belief
in God
Tok, Reddish & Kundt (in preparation) (working title)
Linking theory of mind and religious behaviour in
people with high functioning autism
Tok, Reddish & Horvatova – currently underway
Dialogic Inner speech and religious behaviour in young
adults