Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 25, 2025

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning
Published on: November 2, 2012
The practical other: teleology and its development
Josef Perner1,2, Beate Priewasser1,2, Johannes Roessler3
1Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
Abstract:
We argue for teleology as a description of the way in which we ordinarily understand others' intentional actions. Teleology starts from the close resemblance between the reasoning involved in understanding others' actions and one's own practical reasoning involved in deciding what to do. We carve out teleology's distinctive features more sharply by comparing it to its three main competitors: theory theory, simulation theory, and rationality theory. The plausibility of teleology as our way of understanding others is underlined by developmental data in its favour.
Related Concept Videos
Law of Effect
Edward Thorndike's foundational work involved studying learning in animals, particularly using puzzle...
Purposive Learning
Cognitive Learning
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development
Pre-Conventional Level
At the pre-conventional level, morality is primarily driven by personal...
Ethics and Bioethics
Models, Theories, and Laws

