Theory of mind for processing unexpected events across contexts.
James A Dungan1, Michael Stepanovic2, Liane Young2
1Department of Psychology, Boston College, McGuinn 300, 140 Commonwealth Ave., Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA james.dungan@bc.edu.
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
|March 13, 2016
Summary
Theory of mind (mental state reasoning) helps understand unexpected events. Brain regions like the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and right temporoparietal junction show distinct activity patterns for unexpected social and non-social outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Social Neuroscience
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Theory of mind (mental state reasoning) is crucial for social cognition.
- Understanding unexpected events may rely on theory of mind processes.
- Previous research highlights theory of mind's role in social contexts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of theory of mind in processing unexpected events.
- To differentiate the neural correlates of unexpected outcomes in social versus non-social contexts.
- To examine how expectations based on object behavior, agent behavior, and agent mental states influence neural responses.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed.
- Participants viewed scenarios with expected and unexpected outcomes.
- Expectations were manipulated based on prior object behavior, agent behavior, and agent mental states.
Main Results:
- Theory of mind regions were more active for social agents than non-social objects.
- Dorsomedial prefrontal cortex showed increased activity for unexpected outcomes, particularly in social events.
- Right temporoparietal junction responded robustly to unexpected outcomes based on agent behavior, correlating negatively with autistic traits.
Conclusions:
- Theory of mind brain regions contribute uniquely to processing unexpected events.
- Neural responses to unexpected outcomes differ across social and non-social contexts.
- Individual differences in autistic traits may influence the processing of unexpected social behaviors.
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