Philosophy of Social Cognition

Description

This introductory textbook provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the main issues in contemporary philosophy of social cognition. It explains and critically discusses each of the key philosophical answers to the captivating question of how we understand the mental life of other sentient creatures.   Key Features: ·       Clearly and fully describes the major theoretical approaches to the understanding of other people’s minds. ·       Suggests the major advantages and limitations of each approach, indicating how they differ as well as the ideas they have in common. ·       Tests each philosophical theory against the best available empirical data from psychology, neuroscience and psychopathology. ·       Includes suggestions for additional reading and practice study questions at the end of each chapter. Philosophy of Social Cognition is essential reading for all undergraduate and graduate students taking introductory courses on social cognition. It is also ideal for courses on cognitive neuroscience, social psychology and sociological theory. Preface Contents Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Some Terminology 1.2 The Problem of Other Minds 1.3 The Social Character of Cognition 1.4 Mindshaping, Stereotyping and Social Categorization 1.5 Mental States: Intentionality and Phenomenality 1.6 Levels of Description and Explanation 1.7 Brief Chapter Overview 1.8 Further Reading 1.9 Study Questions References Chapter 2: Theory-Theories 2.1 Anthropological Science Fiction 2.1.1 From Behaviourism to Functionalism 2.1.2 The Status of Folk Psychology 2.2 Children as Scientists 2.2.1 Properties of Theories and Developmental Progress 2.2.2 Theory Change and Bayesian Learning Mechanisms 2.2.3 Experimentation and Cultural Learning 2.3 Further Reading 2.4 Study Questions References Chapter 3: Modularity-Theories 3.1 Carey and Spelke’s Theory of Core Knowledge 3.2 Baron-Cohen‘s Modularity-Theory 3.2.1 The Modularity of Mind 3.2.2 Modularity and Development 3.3 Autism as an Impairment of Social Interaction 3.4 Challenges for Modularity-Theories 3.5 Further Reading 3.6 Study Questions References Chapter 4: Simulation-Theories 4.1 Goldman’s Two-Level Simulation-Theory 4.1.1 Mental Simulation. The Very Idea 4.1.2 Low-Level versus High-Level Simulation 4.2 Problems and Objections 4.2.1 Simulation or Theory? 4.2.2 Criteria for the Distinction Between Low-Level and High-Level Simulation 4.2.3 Why Simulation? 4.3 Mirror Neurons and Embodied Simulation 4.3.1 Some Characteristic Features of Mirror Neurons 4.3.2 The Human Mirror Neuron System 4.3.3 Mirror Neurons and Action Understanding 4.3.4 Mirror Neurons and Action Readiness 4.3.5 Mirror Neurons and the Mentalizing Network 4.4 Concluding Remarks 4.5 Further Reading 4.6 Study Questions References Chapter 5: Empathy-Theories 5.1 Lipps’ Theory of Empathy 5.2 Phenomenological Theories of Empathy 5.3 Empathy in Cognitive Science 5.4 Further Reading 5.5 Study Questions References Chapter 6: Enactivist Theories 6.1 Paradigm Shift in Cognitive Science? 6.2 Elements of Situated Cognition 6.3 Gallagher’s Interaction-Theory 6.3.1 Primary and Secondary Intersubjectivity 6.3.2 Phenomenology and the Mechanisms of Interaction 6.3.3 Social Coupling and the Initiation of Interaction 6.3.4 Direct Perception 6.4 Further Reading 6.5 Study Questions References Chapter 7: Predictive Processing Theories 7.1 The Brain as Prediction Machine 7.2 Predictive Processing versus Representationalism and Enactivism 7.3 Predictive Processing and Social Cognition 7.4 Further Reading 7.5 Study Questions References Chapter 8: The Puzzle of False-Belief Understanding 8.1 The False-Belief Task 8.2 The Developmental Paradox 8.3 In Defence of Early False Belief Understanding 8.4 Tracking Without Representing False Beliefs 8.5 Infants cannot Read Minds 8.5.1 Submentalizing 8.5.2 Teleology and Mental Files 8.5.3 Tomasello’s Shared Intentionality Account 8.6 Problems with False-Belief Tasks 8.6.1 Enactivism 8.6.2 Factive Theory of Mind 8.6.3 The Replication Crisis 8.7 Further Reading 8.8 Study Questions References Chapter 9: Conclusion and New Challenges 9.1 Some Afterthoughts 9.2 New Challenges References References Author Index Subject Index