Does altercentric interference rely on mentalizing?: Results from two level-1 perspective-taking tasks

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0194101
• Publication Date: 2018-03-22T17:36:42Z
• Authors: Julia Marshall; Anton Gollwitzer; Laurie R. Santos
• Keywords: Mentalization

Considerable debate has focused on whether adults possess an implicit system for representing others' mental states. Some argue that people automatically represent the perspective of others using evidence from altercentric interference—cases in which another agent's affects speed with one can report one's own perspective. Others have argued interference is not always specific to social stimuli and thus may a simpler process such as submentalizing. To distinguish between these positions, Study 1 developed novel measure interference—a "sandbox" measure—that allowed us more sensitively assess across non-social conditions. We replicated previous findings showing participants experience both egocentric interference, but we found effects emerge equally further test emerges perspective-taking situations, 2 conducted conceptual replication study used "goggle" paradigm individuals implicitly perspectives. Although failed find response times, participants' accuracy reflected possibility provide support idea (an avatar) driven by mechanisms, while arrow) attention-cuing mechanisms.