Stepping Into Someone Else's Shoes

To start us off, here is a video that reviews the difference between some terms we have learned thus far such as intelligence, consciousness, and theory of mind. 

This video brings up some good points that have not really been touched on in class. For example, all animals have intelligence but different types of intelligence. Worms reason similarly to humans in how to get the leaf inside their home, much like how humans reason how to bring furniture into their home. Because worms have simpler thoughts, does that necessarily mean they do not have the capability to analyze and consciously make decisions?

This video also highlights the main questions around Theory of Mind, which is basically "How do we know what it's like to be a non-human animal?". To figure this out we have to put ourselves in their shoes. 

We as humans, like to anthropomorphize all that is around us. We make take that worm bringing the leaf into it's home and say it is too simple to be considered evidence that worms have conscious thought. 

This brings us to Theory Of Mind. Maybe Theory of Mind for humans is shown differently that what we can observe in animals. Maybe because some animals do not present with empathy, their understanding of other animals minds is not as prevalent in their actions. Thus, making it harder for us to observe and analyze whether or not they possess it. 

Because of the difficulty in observing Theory of Mind, humans have to get creative. In this next video, researchers look at False-beliefs in apes.

(False-beliefs task is based on false-belief understanding which is the understanding that an individual's belief or representation about the world may contrast with reality.)

In class we watched a similar experiment but that one was debunked a little by how subjective the conclusions drawn from the behavior were. This one is much more reliable.  This video supports the notion that apes are able to put themselves in someone else's shoes to anticipate behavior.

So, tell me what you think, does this video change any of your thoughts? Does it support your previous beliefs? 

References  

(2016, October 06). Retrieved November 19, 2017, from https://youtu.be/1s0dO_h7q7Q

(2015, July 14). Retrieved November 19, 2017, from https://youtu.be/BDJ8xyQjyhM