Socially evaluative contexts facilitate mentalizing

• Published in: Trends in cognitive sciences Vol. 27; no. 1; pp. 17 - 29
• Main Authors: Woo, Brandon M., Tan, Enda, Yuen, Francis L., Hamlin, J. Kiley
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2023
• Subjects: cognitive development; Communication; cooperation; Humans; Learning; Mentalization; mentalizing; partner choice; social evaluation; Theory of Mind; cognitive development; mentalizing; partner choice; social evaluation; cooperation
• ISSN: 1364-6613; 1879-307X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2022.10.003

Our ability to understand others’ minds stands at the foundation of human learning, communication, cooperation, and social life more broadly. Although humans’ ability to mentalize has been well-studied throughout the cognitive sciences, little attention has been paid to whether and how mentalizing differs across contexts. Classic developmental studies have examined mentalizing within minimally social contexts, in which a single agent seeks a neutral inanimate object. Such object-directed acts may be common, but they are typically consequential only to the object-seeking agent themselves. Here, we review a host of indirect evidence suggesting that contexts providing the opportunity to evaluate prospective social partners may facilitate mentalizing across development. Our article calls on cognitive scientists to study mentalizing in contexts where it counts. Cognitive scientists have long studied the origins of our ability to mentalize. Remarkably little is known, however, about whether there are particular contexts where humans are more likely to mentalize.We propose that mentalizing is facilitated in contexts where others’ actions shed light on their status as a good or bad social partner. Mentalizing within socially evaluative contexts supports effective partner choice.Our proposal is based on three lines of evidence. First, infants leverage their understanding of others’ mental states to evaluate others’ social actions. Second, infants, children, and adults demonstrate enhanced mentalizing within socially evaluative contexts. Third, infants, children, and adults are especially likely to mentalize when agents cause negative outcomes.Direct tests of this proposal will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of human mentalizing.