Reading Minds
How Childhood Teaches Us to Understand People
Published on 31. January 2020
Book
Hardback
200 pages
978-0-19-087867-2 (ISBN)
Description
The need to understand human social life is basic to our human nature and fuels a life-long quest that we begin in early childhood. Key to this quest is trying to fathom our inner mental states--our hopes, plans, wants, thoughts, and emotions. Scientists deem this developing a "theory of mind." In Reading Minds, Henry Wellman tells the story of our journey into that understanding.
Our hard-won, everyday comprehension of people and minds is not spoon-fed or taught. Each of us creates a wide-ranging theory of mind step-by-step and uses it to understand how all people work. Failure to learn these steps cripples a child, and ultimately an adult, in areas as diverse as interacting socially, creating a coherent life story, enjoying drama and movies, and living on one's own. Progressing along these steps--as most of us do--allows us to see the nature of our shared humanity, to understand our children and our childhood selves, to teach and to learn from others, and to better navigate and make sense of our social world. Theory of mind is basic to why some of us become religious believers and others atheists, why some of us become novelists and all of us love stories, why some love scary movies and some hate them. Reading Minds illuminates how we develop this theory of mind as children, how that defines us as individuals, and ultimately how it defines us as human.
Our hard-won, everyday comprehension of people and minds is not spoon-fed or taught. Each of us creates a wide-ranging theory of mind step-by-step and uses it to understand how all people work. Failure to learn these steps cripples a child, and ultimately an adult, in areas as diverse as interacting socially, creating a coherent life story, enjoying drama and movies, and living on one's own. Progressing along these steps--as most of us do--allows us to see the nature of our shared humanity, to understand our children and our childhood selves, to teach and to learn from others, and to better navigate and make sense of our social world. Theory of mind is basic to why some of us become religious believers and others atheists, why some of us become novelists and all of us love stories, why some love scary movies and some hate them. Reading Minds illuminates how we develop this theory of mind as children, how that defines us as individuals, and ultimately how it defines us as human.
Reviews / Votes
The book makes for a fun reference text, in part because the narrative flows so easily. * Choice * Henry Wellman offers a compelling narrative of how children construct an increasingly elaborate theory of the human mind. Children use that theory to make sense of what people say, do, think and feel. It helps children to communicate, make friends, collaborate, play games, and empathize--and it gives them a way to think about a variety of other minds: the minds of imaginary playmates, fictional characters, animals, robots, and even supernatural agents, such as God. A pioneer in the field, with impeccable research credentials, Wellman has written an accessible account of one of the most fertile and enduring research programs in developmental psychology. * Paul L. Harris, Victor S. Thomas Professor of Education, Harvard University * Henry Wellman is the world's leading authority on children's 'theory of mind'-the way that we come to understand the minds of others. It is a topic that is increasingly central in developmental and clinical psychology and in neuroscience, and is equally important to parents and teachers. This comprehensive, clear, and very accessible and readable book provides the best possible introduction to the field. But it also includes fascinating and exciting new ideas about the frontiers of the research, from robots to religion. * Alison Gopnik, Professor of Psychology and Affiliate Professor of Philosophy, Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley * Most people think that psychologists read minds but what Henry Wellman demonstrates is that this is a natural ability we all possess from an early age. Peppered with fascinating examples from the lab and the real world, Reading Minds is a journey of wonder into this field of human development. Who better to guide us than one of leading experts who has mapped so much of the terrain. * Bruce Hood, Professor of Psychology, University of Bristol *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
408 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-087867-2 (9780190878672)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
12/2019
OUP eBook
€18.99
Available for download
E-Book
12/2019
OUP eBook
€18.99
Available for download
Person
Henry Wellman graduated with a BA from Pomona College in 1970 and with a PhD from the Institute of Child Psychology at the University of Minnesota in 1975. He has been on the faculty of the University of Michigan for just over 40 years. His book Making Minds (OUP 2014) won book awards from the American Psychological Association and the Cognitive Development Society. He is recipient of the Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award, University of Michigan 2009; the G. Stanley Hall Award (for distinguished career contributions to Developmental Psychology) from the American Psychological Association, 2012; and a MERIT award from the National Institute of Child Health and Development.
Content
Preface
Chapter 1: Reading Minds 101
How We Begin
Reading the Minds of Others
Mistakes Are Made
Life Without Reading Minds: Autism and Mind Blindness
Going Forward
Chapter 2: Mindreading, Gossip, and Liars
Gossip: Can You Blame Your Primate DNA?
Reading Minds 102
Not Just for Experts: Everyday Psychology
Lies, Damned Lies, and Deceptions
How to Detect Liars
Our Social Brain
Chapter 3: Friends, Secrets, and Lies
Children Master False Beliefs
Back to Africa
Lies and Deception
Hiding and Secrets
Persuasion
Ruby Bridges and Friendlessness
Chapter 4: Imagination and Reality
Real or Imagined: Can Children Tell?
Jean Piaget
Imaginary Companions
Mixing Mind and Reality--We All Do It
In Sum
Chapter 5: Putting the Theory in Theory of Mind
Temple Grandin: Thinking in Pictures
Everyday Theories
Building Theories
Theory? Or Not?
Chapter 6: Block by Block
Building Theory of Mind
How Deafness Influences Theory of Mind
Stepping Up
Deaf with Deaf Parents
Watching a Sign Language Arise
Enhancing Theory of Mind
Can Sequences Differ?
Theories Beget Theories
Building with Blocks
Chapter 7: The Baby Boom: Where Reading Minds Begins
Infants' Social Understanding
How It's Done
Preferences
How Infants Understand People
Further Questions
Primal Egocentrism
False Beliefs?
Human Learning: The Real Baby Boom
Chapter 8: Superpowers, God, Omniscience, and Afterlife
Superheroes
How Children Link to God
Omniscience?
Does Religion Help?
Adult, Too
The Living Dead
Afterlife
Is Your Mind Invisible? Is Your Brain?
The Invisible Brain
The Soul Has It
Transcending the Ordinary
Chapter 9: Possible Worlds, Possible Minds
When People Don't Care
When God Talks Back
Mind Overcomes Reality
People Everywhere are Different, People Everywhere are Just the Same
Teaching and Time
Rubber Band Development
Contradictions and Progress
Chapter 10: Chimps, Dogs and Us: The Evolution of Reading Minds
How Human Are They?
Rich or Lean?
The Lean
Getting Richer
Chimp Limitations
Human versus Chimp: Sharing, Helping, and Acquiring
Sharing and Cooperation
Helpful Disclosures
Helpful Acts
My Dog Can Read My Mind
Temperamental Humans
Social Intelligence
Chapter 11: The Social Brain
Cells that Read Minds
How It Works
Yawning Infects Us
TOM: The Theory of Mind Network
Childish Brains
Plastic Brains
Chapter 12: Hi, Robot
The Uncanny Valley
Creepiness Creeps In
Learning from Robots
Trustworthy Testimony
Developing Ideas about Robots
Younger Children Learn from Robots
Younger versus Older Children and Robots
Feelings toward Robots
Morality for Robots?
Into the Future
Chapter 13: Theory of Mind At Work
At Work in the Law
Mind Bubbles Up
Mysteries of Mind
Theory of Mind at Work for Childish Adults
Theory of Mind Works Against Us
Forecasting Feelings
Surprise: It's Not the Thought that Counts
Easy Knowledge Is Bad for You
How to Get Smarter
Always Working
Chapter 14: Stories, Theories, Minds
The Stories We Live By
Self-Deceptions and Errors
Understanding and Misunderstanding Emotions
It's Magic
We Don't Know What We Don't Know
Reading Minds
Chapter 1: Reading Minds 101
How We Begin
Reading the Minds of Others
Mistakes Are Made
Life Without Reading Minds: Autism and Mind Blindness
Going Forward
Chapter 2: Mindreading, Gossip, and Liars
Gossip: Can You Blame Your Primate DNA?
Reading Minds 102
Not Just for Experts: Everyday Psychology
Lies, Damned Lies, and Deceptions
How to Detect Liars
Our Social Brain
Chapter 3: Friends, Secrets, and Lies
Children Master False Beliefs
Back to Africa
Lies and Deception
Hiding and Secrets
Persuasion
Ruby Bridges and Friendlessness
Chapter 4: Imagination and Reality
Real or Imagined: Can Children Tell?
Jean Piaget
Imaginary Companions
Mixing Mind and Reality--We All Do It
In Sum
Chapter 5: Putting the Theory in Theory of Mind
Temple Grandin: Thinking in Pictures
Everyday Theories
Building Theories
Theory? Or Not?
Chapter 6: Block by Block
Building Theory of Mind
How Deafness Influences Theory of Mind
Stepping Up
Deaf with Deaf Parents
Watching a Sign Language Arise
Enhancing Theory of Mind
Can Sequences Differ?
Theories Beget Theories
Building with Blocks
Chapter 7: The Baby Boom: Where Reading Minds Begins
Infants' Social Understanding
How It's Done
Preferences
How Infants Understand People
Further Questions
Primal Egocentrism
False Beliefs?
Human Learning: The Real Baby Boom
Chapter 8: Superpowers, God, Omniscience, and Afterlife
Superheroes
How Children Link to God
Omniscience?
Does Religion Help?
Adult, Too
The Living Dead
Afterlife
Is Your Mind Invisible? Is Your Brain?
The Invisible Brain
The Soul Has It
Transcending the Ordinary
Chapter 9: Possible Worlds, Possible Minds
When People Don't Care
When God Talks Back
Mind Overcomes Reality
People Everywhere are Different, People Everywhere are Just the Same
Teaching and Time
Rubber Band Development
Contradictions and Progress
Chapter 10: Chimps, Dogs and Us: The Evolution of Reading Minds
How Human Are They?
Rich or Lean?
The Lean
Getting Richer
Chimp Limitations
Human versus Chimp: Sharing, Helping, and Acquiring
Sharing and Cooperation
Helpful Disclosures
Helpful Acts
My Dog Can Read My Mind
Temperamental Humans
Social Intelligence
Chapter 11: The Social Brain
Cells that Read Minds
How It Works
Yawning Infects Us
TOM: The Theory of Mind Network
Childish Brains
Plastic Brains
Chapter 12: Hi, Robot
The Uncanny Valley
Creepiness Creeps In
Learning from Robots
Trustworthy Testimony
Developing Ideas about Robots
Younger Children Learn from Robots
Younger versus Older Children and Robots
Feelings toward Robots
Morality for Robots?
Into the Future
Chapter 13: Theory of Mind At Work
At Work in the Law
Mind Bubbles Up
Mysteries of Mind
Theory of Mind at Work for Childish Adults
Theory of Mind Works Against Us
Forecasting Feelings
Surprise: It's Not the Thought that Counts
Easy Knowledge Is Bad for You
How to Get Smarter
Always Working
Chapter 14: Stories, Theories, Minds
The Stories We Live By
Self-Deceptions and Errors
Understanding and Misunderstanding Emotions
It's Magic
We Don't Know What We Don't Know
Reading Minds