Theory of Mind Is Independent of Episodic Memory

摘要

As humans, we are intrigued by who we are and how we differ from other creatures of evolution. Among the capacities thought to be uniquely human are autonoetic consciousness, the aspect of self-awareness that allows us to imagine our own experiences in different places at other times, and theory of mind (ToM), which allows us to infer other people's current mental states. The idea that ToM is closely related to, and that it may depend on, episodic memory and autonoetic consciousness seems perfectly natural: that in order to imagine and make sense of other people's thoughts, feelings, intentions, and actions, we must rely on our autobiographical recollections (1). The ability to consciously recollect past personal happenings has been shown to be necessary for imagining coherent and detailed personal happenings in the future (2, 3). Both episodic memory and ToM emerge close in time in ontogenetic development (4).