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What Can We Learn by Treating Perspective Taking as Problem Solving?
Tokiko Taylor1, Timothy L Edwards1
1School of Psychology, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, 3240 New Zealand.
Perspectives on Behavior Science
|October 11, 2021
Summary
Perspective taking, often linked to theory of mind (ToM), may be better understood as problem-solving behavior. This behavioral approach offers a pragmatic view, suggesting precurrent behaviors facilitate solutions.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Behavior Analysis
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Extensive research exists on perspective-taking using diverse experimental tasks.
- Current theoretical constructs, like theory of mind (ToM), present conceptual limitations from a behavior-analytic viewpoint.
- Behavioral approaches offer parsimony and pragmatism but have limited research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically evaluate existing theoretical constructs for perspective-taking.
- To propose an alternative behavior-analytic conceptualization of perspective-taking.
- To explore the advantages of viewing perspective-taking as problem-solving behavior.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of existing literature on perspective-taking and related theories.
- Critique of theory of mind (ToM) and relational frame theory (RFT) from a behavior-analytic perspective.
- Proposal of a problem-solving framework for understanding perspective-taking.
Main Results:
- Theory of mind (ToM) and relational frame theory (RFT) exhibit conceptual shortcomings for behavior analysis.
- Perspective-taking can be effectively conceptualized as a form of problem-solving behavior.
- Successful perspective-taking involves context-appropriate precurrent behaviors that lead to a solution.
Conclusions:
- A behavior-analytic, problem-solving framework offers a more parsimonious and pragmatic understanding of perspective-taking.
- This reconceptualization highlights the role of observable, precurrent behaviors in successful perspective-taking.
- Further research is warranted to explore the implications and applications of this problem-solving model.
Keywords:
deictic framingmind readingprecurrent behaviorstimulus controltheory of mindvisual perspective takingMore Related Videos
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