What neuroimaging and perceptions of self-other similarity can tell us about the mechanism underlying mentalizing

Lombardo, M.V., Chakrabarti, B. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6649-7895 and Baron-Cohen, S. (2009) What neuroimaging and perceptions of self-other similarity can tell us about the mechanism underlying mentalizing. Behavioral and Brain Sciences , 32 (2). pp. 152-153. ISSN 0140-525X doi: 10.1017/S0140525X09000715

Abstract/Summary

Carruthers' "mindreading is prior" model postulates one unitary mindreading mechanism working identically for self and other. While we agree about shared mindreading mechanisms, there is also evidence from neuroimaging and mentalizing about dissimilar others that suggest factors that differentially affect self-versus-other mentalizing. Such dissociations suggest greater complexity than the mindreading is prior model allows.