Mental Modules, Mindreading & Male-Female Brain-Based Differences Autism and Baron-Cohen’s “Four Evolutionary Steps” that underlie the Human Mindreading Mechanism

Mental Modules What is a Mental Module? A Typical Account (building on the work of Jerry Fodor: 1. Domain specificity; 2. Informational encapsulation, modules are “causally independent;” 3. Obligatory firing, modules process or don’t; 4. Fast speed; 5. Simple outputs; 6. Characteristic ontogeny, there is a regularity of development; 7. Semi-Fixed/developmentally fixed neural architecture.

See Simon Baron-Cohen’s Mindblindness

(1) ID: Intentionality Detector Mechanism The ID is hypothesized to be “amodal” and “a perceptual device that interprets motion stimuli in terms of the primitive volitional mental states of goal and desire” (Mindblindness, p. 32)

Criticism of Baron-Cohen’s Account of ID ID as outlined seems “TOO INTENTIONAL.” I suggest instead an ANIMATION DETECTOR MECHANISM – a mechanism that distinguishes two kinds of motion – animated and non-animated (see Premack 1990). (Also see evidence from Baron-Cohen, Mindblindness, pp. 35-38)

(2) EDD: Eye-Direction Detector Mechanism The EDD is hypothesized to have three basic functions: (i) it detects eye-like stimuli; (ii) it “computes” eye direction; (iii) “it infers from its own case that if another organism’s eyes are directed at something, then that organism sees that thing” (Mindblindness, p. 39).

Criticism of Baron-Cohen’s Account of EDD Again, (iii) seems “too intentional.” I do not see how the evidence cited supports (iii) over alternative accounts that make no reference to the mental states of other organisms. (See “evidence” – Mindblindness, pp. 32-33)

(3) SAM: Shared Attention Detector Mechanism “SAM’s key function is to build … triadic representations. Essentially triadic representations specify the relations among an Agent, the Self, and a (third) Object. … Included in a triadic representation is an embedded element which specifies that Agent and Self are both attending to the same object. … [Mummy-sees-(I see the bus)]” (pp. 44-45).

Comment on Baron-Cohen’s Account of SAM The presence of SAM seems indicative of a kind of “qualitative divide” that requires some measure of “reflective consciousness.” In older parlance, SAM requires not merely consciousness, but self-consciousness as well.

(4) ToMM: Theory-of-Mind Detector Mechanism “But a theory of mind, of course, includes much more. The first thing that is still needed is a way of representing the set of epistemic mental states (which include pretending, thinking, knowing, believing, imagining, dreaming, guessing, and deceiving). The second is a way of tying together all these mental-state concepts (the volitional, the perceptual, and the epistemic) into a coherent understanding of how mental states and actions are related.”

Autism and the Four Steps Children with Autism Do seem to have functioning ID and EDD mechanisms. But Baron –Cohen argues that there is good evidence that persons with autism have malfunctioning SAMs and ToMMs.

False Belief Tests (cont.) EXAMPLE: The subject who is a person with autism watches the following scenario unfold: Sally puts a marble in a BOX and then she leaves the room. After Sally leaves, Ann removes the marble from the box and puts it in a BAG. Sally returns. Where will she look for the marble?

False Belief Test (cont.) “Normal” 4 year olds say that Sally will look for the marble in the BOX where she left it. A very high percentage of children with autism say that Sally will look in the BAG for the marble

False Belief Test (cont.) Baron-Cohen argues that this shows a failure of SAM and ToMM

ToMM and the False Belief Test But beyond what Baron-Cohen says about the TOMM, a full-fledged “theory of mind” requires the ability to discern, understand and respond appropriately to the full-range of human emotions. Only then can we most fully understand the relation between mental states and actions. Add to this the fact that adults with Aspergers HAVE NO DIFFICULTY passing the False Belief Test …

(4) ToMM: Theory-of-Mind Detector Mechanism HOWEVER, Persons with Aspergers DO have great difficulty discerning, understanding and responding appropriately to the full-range of human emotions. This suggests that while persons with Aspergers possess a functioning SAM, what they lack is a fully-functional ToMM.

False Belief Test Baron-Cohen argues that the malfunctioning of SAM and ToMM in people with autism is indicated by their poor performance on “False Belief Tests” However, I am arguing that persons with Aspergers, while they have no difficulty with the False Belief Test, do have difficulty discerning/understanding/responding to a full range of human emotions.

The Extreme Male Brain Theory of Autism This suggests that Baron-Cohen in his subsequent book The Essential Difference is on the right track when he follows Hans Asperger and embraces the Extreme Male Brain Theory of Autism.