Theory of mind on demand: do we prepare or react?

TL;DR

This paper explores how humans efficiently infer others' mental states by proposing a reactive and demand-driven theory of mind mechanism.

Contribution

The novel contribution is the hypothesis of reactive and demand-driven theory of mind (ToM) mechanisms shaped by cognitive heuristics.

Findings

Qualitative data suggests humans use heuristics to efficiently infer mental states in complex social interactions.

Themes identified include cognitive shortcuts that help manage the complexity of social reasoning.

The study proposes a reactive ToM model that requires further quantitative validation.

Abstract

Reasoning about others’ thoughts, emotions, or intentions is a sophisticated human ability. Modelling such a complex phenomenon with limited available resources is a challenging pursuit. This work proposes the hypothesis of demand-driven and reactive ToM in humans as an additional strategy to establish sufficient mental inferences in complex social spaces. The authors consider a perspective of bounded rationality and cognitive costs in conceptualising ToM and understanding how humans form, maintain, and reason with models of others efficiently and effectively. This study presents qualitative data exploring what patterns in human ToM may allow humans to quickly and seemingly effortlessly perform the complex task of inferring other people’s mental states. The results consist of several themes, which point to various heuristics that may be employed in shaping tractable ToM mechanisms. In conclusion, this qualitative approach to understanding ToM efficiency shaped the hypothesis of reactive ToM mechanisms human cognition, which needs to be tested in confirmatory quantitative studies. Study limitations, implications for modelling, and directions for future research are discussed.

Figures