The mentalistic basis of core social cognition: experiments in preverbal infants and a computational model

• Published in: Developmental science Vol. 16; no. 2; pp. 209 - 226
• Main Authors: Kiley Hamlin, J., Ullman, Tomer, Tenenbaum, Josh, Goodman, Noah, Baker, Chris
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.03.2013; Wiley-Blackwell; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Bayes Theorem; Bayesian Statistics; Child Development; Choice Behavior; Cognition; Cognitive Ability; Computation; Computer Simulation; Computers; Concept Formation; Cues; Decision Making; Familiarity; Female; Humans; Infant; Infant Behavior; Infants; Inferences; Learning; Male; Models, Neurological; Probability; Puppetry; Social Behavior; Social Cognition; Social Perception; Social psychology; Task Analysis; Visual Perception
• ISSN: 1363-755X; 1467-7687
• DOI: 10.1111/desc.12017

Evaluating individuals based on their pro‐ and anti‐social behaviors is fundamental to successful human interaction. Recent research suggests that even preverbal infants engage in social evaluation; however, it remains an open question whether infants’ judgments are driven uniquely by an analysis of the mental states that motivate others’ helpful and unhelpful actions, or whether non‐mentalistic inferences are at play. Here we present evidence from 10‐month‐olds, motivated and supported by a Bayesian computational model, for mentalistic social evaluation in the first year of life.A video of this article can be viewed at http://youtu.be/rD_Ry5oqCYE Evaluating individuals based on their pro‐ and anti‐social behaviors is fundamental to successful human interaction. Recent research suggests that even preverbal infants engage in social evaluation; however, it remains an open question whether infants’ judgments are driven uniquely by an analysis of the mental states that motivate others’ helpful and unhelpful actions, or whether non‐mentalistic inferences are at play. Here we present evidence from 10‐month‐olds, motivated and supported by a Bayesian computational model, for mentalistic social evaluation in the first year of life.