Top of page

Book/Printed Material When (and how) is theory of mind useful? : evidence from life-span research

About this Item

Title

  • When (and how) is theory of mind useful? : evidence from life-span research

Summary

  • "Theory of Mind (ToM) or mentalization is the ability to understand and foresee the behavior referring to one's own and others' mental states (Premack & Woodruff, 1978; Wimmer & Perner, 1983). This capacity, which is considered the most representative mechanism of social cognition, is a multifaceted set of competences liable to influence--and be influenced by--a manifold of psychosocial aspects. Studies on typical and atypical/clinical development during life showed that ToM is frequently delayed (e.g. in deafness) or impaired in many clinical conditions (e.g. Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Schizophrenia, Borderline Personality Disorder, Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease) and, on the other hand, may not be unequivocally a positive experience. It is therefore possible to consider the existence of multiple kinds of Theory of Mind. In fact, ToM may vary along a quantitative and a qualitative continuum. As for the quantitative dimension, the continuum is constituted by the fluctuation between high and low levels of ToM ability in different clinical conditions. Along this continuum, impairment can mean "not enough" ToM (for example in Autism Spectrum Disorder) as well as "too much" ToM (for example in Schizophrenia and Borderline Personality Disorder). The qualitative dimension--highly interrelated with the quantitative one--regards the shift between adaptive (e.g. prosocial, nice ToM) vs. unadaptive (e.g. antisocial, nasty ToM) mental states content. The issue is discussed in light of recent evidence from outstanding researchers working on typical and atypical/clinical populations along the life-span. Findings from the fields of psychology, neuropsychology and neuroscience enrich the research topic argumentation"--Page 2.

Names

  • Baglio, Francesca, editor.
  • Marchetti, Antonella, editor.

Created / Published

  • [Lausanne, Switzerland] : Frontiers Media SA [2017]

Headings

  • -  Philosophy of mind
  • -  Social perception

Notes

  • -  "Published in: Frontiers in Psychology."
  • -  Includes bibliographical references.
  • -  Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (viewed on 08/10/2020)

Medium

  • 1 online resource (182 pages)

Call Number/Physical Location

  • BD418.3

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2020405268

Rights Advisory

Access Advisory

  • Unrestricted online access

Online Format

  • image
  • epub
  • pdf

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

The books in this collection are licensed under open access licenses allowing for the reuse and distribution of each book following the terms described in each license. Researchers should consult the Rights Advisory statement for each title and the accompanying license details for information about rights and permissions associated with each of the licenses.

More about Copyright and other Restrictions.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Baglio, Francesca, and Antonella Marchetti, editor. When and How Is Theory of Mind Useful?: Evidence from Life-Span Research. [Lausanne, Switzerland: Frontiers Media SA, 2017] Pdf. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/2020405268/.

APA citation style:

Baglio, F. & Marchetti, A., editor. (2017) When and How Is Theory of Mind Useful?: Evidence from Life-Span Research. [Lausanne, Switzerland: Frontiers Media SA] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/2020405268/.

MLA citation style:

Baglio, Francesca, and Antonella Marchetti, editor. When and How Is Theory of Mind Useful?: Evidence from Life-Span Research. [Lausanne, Switzerland: Frontiers Media SA, 2017] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/2020405268/>.