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Conscious and Non-conscious Representations of Emotional Faces in Asperger's Syndrome
Published on: July 31, 2016
Pretence, social cognition and self-knowledge in autism
1Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany. varga@hum.ku.dk
Psychopathology
|November 3, 2010
Summary
This study explores how shared intentionality can explain pretend play deficits in autism. It proposes an alternative to
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Autism is characterized by difficulties in social cognition, including pretend play, understanding others' minds, and self-awareness.
- Pretend play deficits are an early behavioral marker in autism, suggesting a central role in the disorder.
- Mainstream theories often attribute these deficits to impaired 'theory of mind' or 'mentalizing' capacities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of pretence in understanding the core impairments associated with autism.
- To propose an alternative account of pretence and social cognition, moving beyond traditional 'theory of mind' explanations.
- To explore the utility of shared intentionality in explaining social cognitive differences in autism.
Main Methods:
- Review and critique of mainstream theories on autism and social cognition, specifically 'theory of mind' accounts.
- Drawing upon research by Tomasello and Rakoczy on pretence and social cognition.
- Developing a novel framework for understanding pretence based on shared intentionality.
Main Results:
- Identified limitations in current 'theory of mind' based explanations for autism-related deficits in pretence.
- Presented an alternative conceptualization of pretence rooted in shared intentionality.
- Suggested that this shared intentionality framework offers a more nuanced understanding of social cognition in autism.
Conclusions:
- An account of pretence grounded in shared intentionality provides valuable insights into autism.
- This perspective challenges traditional views and offers a new direction for understanding social cognitive differences.
- Further research into shared intentionality may illuminate the mechanisms underlying social interaction in autism.
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