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On Direct Social Perception.

Shannon Spaulding1

  • 1Oklahoma State University, 246 Murray Hall, Stillwater, OK 74078, United States.

Consciousness and Cognition
|January 28, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Direct Social Perception (DSP) challenges how we understand perceiving others' mental states. This research proposes a new framework for DSP, focusing on perceptual beliefs about mental states as more promising.

Keywords:
Content of perceptionInferencePerceptionSocial cognitionTheory of mind

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Area of Science:

  • Philosophy of Mind
  • Social Cognition
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Direct Social Perception (DSP) posits non-inferential perception of others' mental states.
  • Current framing of DSP leads to a theoretical impasse in understanding social cognition.
  • Debates often center on whether mental states are inferred or directly perceived.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To reframe the debate surrounding Direct Social Perception (DSP).
  • To propose alternative interpretations of perceiving others' mental states.
  • To identify the most viable interpretation of DSP for future research.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis of existing theories on Direct Social Perception.
  • Development of two distinct interpretations of perceiving mental states.
  • Argumentation for the superiority of one interpretation over the other.

Main Results:

  • The standard framing of DSP is shown to be unproductive.
  • Two alternative interpretations are presented: mental states in perceptual content and basic perceptual beliefs.
  • The interpretation of basic perceptual beliefs about others' mental states is argued to be more promising.

Conclusions:

  • Reframing DSP is crucial for advancing research in social cognition.
  • Basic perceptual beliefs offer a more fruitful avenue for understanding direct perception of mental states.
  • Further investigation is needed into the specific mental states that align with this promising DSP interpretation.