Reading the mind in cartoons and stories: an fMRI study of ‘theory of mind’ in verbal and nonverbal tasks
NeuropsychologiaPublished 1 January 2000
Helen L. Gallagher, Francesca Happé, Nicola Brunswick, Paul C. Fletcher, Uta Frith, Chris Frith
Citations1,409
SJR quartileQ2
SJR score0.85
SNIP0.82
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TL;DR
Brain activation during the theory of mind condition of a story task and a cartoon task showed considerable overlap in the medial prefrontal cortex (paracingulate cortex), which is discussed in relation to the cognitive mechanisms underpinning the authors' everyday ability to 'mind-read'.
Abstract
Previous functional imaging studies have explored the brain regions activated by tasks requiring 'theory of mind'--the attribution of mental states. Tasks used have been primarily verbal, and it has been unclear to what extent different results have reflected different tasks, scanning techniques, or genuinely distinct regions of activation. Here we report results from a functional magnetic resonance imaging study (fMRI) involving two rather different tasks both designed to tap theory of mind. Brain activation during the theory of mind condition of a story task and a cartoon task showed considerable overlap, specifically in the medial prefrontal cortex (paracingulate cortex). These results are discussed in relation to the cognitive mechanisms underpinning our everyday ability to 'mind-read'.
Keywords
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