Level7-unit3-card2——How-we-read-each-others-minds

1/11Level7——unit3——card2Howwereadeachother'smindsTodayI'mgoingtotalktoyouabouttheproblemofotherminds.AndtheproblemI'mgoingtotalkaboutisnotthefamiliaronefromphilosophy,whichis,Howcanweknowwhetherotherpeoplehaveminds?Thatis,maybeyouhaveamind,andeveryoneelseisjustareallyconvincingrobot.Sothat'saprobleminphilosophy,butfortoday'spurposesI'mgoingtoassumethatmanypeopleinthisaudiencehaveamind,andthatIdon'thavetoworryaboutthis.Thereisasecondproblemthatismaybeevenmorefamiliartousasparentsandteachersandspousesandnovelists,whichis,Whyisitsohardtoknowwhatsomebodyelsewantsorbelieves?Orperhaps,morerelevantly,Whyisitsohardtochangewhatsomebodyelsewantsorbelieves?Ithinknovelistsputthisbest.LikePhilipRoth,whosaid,Andyet,whatarewetodoaboutthisterriblysignificantbusinessofotherpeople?Soillequippedareweall,toenvisiononeanother'sinteriorworkingsandinvisibleaims.Soasateacherandasaspouse,thisis,ofcourse,aproblemIconfronteveryday.Butasascientist,I'minterestedinadifferentproblemofotherminds,andthatistheoneI'mgoingtointroducetoyoutoday.2/11Andthatproblemis,Howisitsoeasytoknowotherminds?Sotostartwithanillustration,youneedalmostnoinformation,onesnapshotofastranger,toguesswhatthiswomanisthinking,orwhatthismanis.Andputanotherway,thecruxoftheproblemisthemachinethatweuseforthinkingaboutotherminds,ourbrain,ismadeupofpieces,braincells,thatwesharewithallotheranimals,withmonkeysandmiceandevenseaslugs.Andyet,youputthemtogetherinaparticularnetwork,andwhatyougetisthecapacitytowriteRomeoandJuliet.Ortosay,asAlanGreenspandid,IknowyouthinkyouunderstandwhatyouthoughtIsaid,butI'mnotsureyourealizethatwhatyouheardisnotwhatImeant.(Laughter)So,thejobofmyfieldofcognitiveneuroscienceistostandwiththeseideas,oneineachhand.Andtotrytounderstandhowyoucanputtogethersimpleunits,simplemessagesoverspaceandtime,inanetwork,andgetthisamazinghumancapacitytothinkaboutminds.SoI'mgoingtotellyouthreethingsaboutthistoday.Obviouslythewholeprojecthereishuge.AndI'mgoingtotellyoujustourfirstfewstepsaboutthediscoveryofaspecialbrainregionforthinkingaboutotherpeople'sthoughts.Someobservationsontheslowdevelopmentofthissystemaswelearnhowtodothisdifficultjob.Andthenfinally,toshowthatsomeofthedifferencesbetweenpeople,inhowwejudgeothers,canbeexplainedbydifferencesinthisbrainsystem.Sofirst,thefirstthingIwanttotellyouisthatthereisabrainregioninthehumanbrain,inyourbrains,whosejobitistothinkaboutotherpeople'sthoughts.3/11Thisisapictureofit.It'scalledtheRightTemporo-ParietalJunction.It'saboveandbehindyourrightear.AndthisisthebrainregionyouusedwhenyousawthepicturesIshowedyou,orwhenyoureadRomeoandJulietorwhenyoutriedtounderstandAlanGreenspan.Andyoudon'tuseitforsolvinganyotherkindsoflogicalproblems.SothisbrainregioniscalledtheRightTPJ.Andthispictureshowstheaverageactivationinagroupofwhatwecalltypicalhumanadults.They'reMITundergraduates.(Laughter)ThesecondthingIwanttosayaboutthisbrainsystemisthatalthoughwehumanadultsarereallygoodatunderstandingotherminds,weweren'talwaysthatway.Ittakeschildrenalongtimetobreakintothesystem.I'mgoingtoshowyoualittlebitofthatlong,extendedprocess.ThefirstthingI'mgoingtoshowyouisachangebetweenagethreeandfive,askidslearntounderstandthatsomebodyelsecanhavebeliefsthataredifferentfromtheirown.SoI'mgoingtoshowyouafive-year-oldwhoisgettingastandardkindofpuzzlethatwecallthefalsebelieftask.RebeccaSaxe(Video):Thisisthefirstpirate.HisnameisIvan.Andyouknowwhatpiratesreallylike?Child:What?RS:Piratesreallylikecheesesandwiches.Child:Cheese?Ilovecheese!RS:Yeah.SoIvanhasthischeesesandwich,andhesays,Yumyumyumyumyum!Ireallylovecheesesandwiches.AndIvanputshissandwichoverhere,ontopofthepiratechest.AndIvansays,Youknowwhat?Ineedadrinkwithmylunch.AndsoIvangoestogetadrink.4/11AndwhileIvanisawaythewindcomes,anditblowsthesandwichdownontothegrass.Andnow,herecomestheotherpirate.ThispirateiscalledJoshua.AndJoshuaalsoreallylovescheesesandwiches.SoJoshuahasacheesesandwichandhesays,Yumyumyumyumyum!Ilovecheesesandwiches.Andheputshischeesesandwichoverhereontopofthepiratechest.Child:So,thatoneishis.RS:ThatoneisJoshua's.That'sright.Child:Andthenhiswentontheground.RS:That'sexactlyright.Child:Sohewon'tknowwhichoneishis.RS:Oh.SonowJoshuagoesofftogetadrink.Ivancomesbackandhesays,Iwantmycheesesandwich.SowhichonedoyouthinkIvanisgoingtotake?Child:Ithinkheisgoingtotakethatone.RS:Yeah,youthinkhe'sgoingtotakethatone?Allright.Let'ssee.Ohyeah,youwereright.Hetookthatone.Sothat'safive-year-oldwhoclearlyunderstandsthatotherpeoplecanhavefalsebeliefsandwhattheconsequencesarefortheiractions.NowI'mgoingtoshowyouathree-year-oldwhogotthesamepuzzle.RS:AndIvansays,Iwantmycheesesandwich.Whichsandwichishegoingtotake?Doyouthinkhe'sgoingtotakethatone?Let'sseewhathappens.Let'sseewhathedoes.HerecomesIvan.Andhesays,Iwantmycheesesandwich.Andhetakesthisone.Uh-oh.Whydidhetakethatone?Child:Hiswasonthegrass.Sothethree-year-olddoestwothingsdifferently.First,hepredictsIvanwilltakethesandwichthat'sreallyhis.Andsecond,whenheseesIvantakingthesandwichwherehelefthis,wherewewouldsayhe'stakingthatonebecausehethinksit'shis,thethree-year-oldcomesupwit