Theory of Mind Literary Fiction and Academic Advising

Theory of Mind, Literary Fiction, and Academic Advising Peter L. Hagen, Stockton University Julie Givans Voller, Phoenix College: a Maricopa Community College

Learning outcomes for this session; • Understand the connection between Theory of Mind academic advising • Recognize the effect reading literary fiction has on the development of Theory of Mind • Recognize how research on literary fiction and To. M may influence the education of academic advisors

What is “Theory of Mind”? • A concept from cognitive neuroscience • Our ability to think about other people’s thoughts • It’s called a “theory” because we cannot know another person’s mind directly • So we do the next best thing: we use our imaginations to make inferences about the other person’s thoughts based on what we can observe • We infer their thoughts, motivations, and mental states • And form those inferences into a story

Theory of Mind and Advising • In order to understand how students make meaning for themselves, academic advisors must have a highly developed capacity for Theory of Mind, that is, for making attributions about their students’ minds. • Good advisors imagine what it must be like to be that student. • Imagination and interpretation allow us to serve the student beyond the basics of information-giving.

Neuroscience and Theory of Mind The region of the brain responsible for making these inferences about other people is the Right Temporo-Parietal Junction (RTPJ)

“The RTPJ region shows a high response only when the story describes someone’s thoughts and beliefs” (Saxe and Young, 2014, p. 208).

Theory of Mind and Literary Fiction • “We submit that fiction affects To. M processes because it forces us to engage in mind-reading and character construction. Not any kind of fiction achieves that, though. Our proposal is that it is literary fiction that forces the reader to engage in To. M processes” (Kidd and Castano, 2013, p. 377)

What is “literary fiction”? • Engages the reader to push for meaning, fill in gaps, and search for understanding. • Requires readers to infer states of mind from a raised eyebrow or a studied silence. States of mind are not always overtly stated. • Helps us to understand reality; it does not merely entertain. • Try goodreads. com or gutenberg. org Can be thought of as one end of a spectrum rather than a distinct type of literature

Readers of literary fiction must deal with multiple levels of mind reading at the same time. For example: Shakespeare wants the audience to believe (and we know that he wants this) that Romeo really thinks that Juliet is dead even though we know she is not

Literary Fiction and Academic Advising • “Just as in real life, the worlds of literary fiction are replete with complicated individuals whose inner lives are rarely easily discerned but warrant exploration. The worlds of fiction, though, pose fewer risks than the real world, and they present opportunities to consider the experiences of others without facing the potentially threatening consequences of that engagement” (Kidd and Castano, 2013, p. 378).

Conclusion #1 Reading literary fiction improves our capacity to advise well because it enhances our Theory of Mind.

Conclusion #2 Narrative processes are vital to the practice of academic advising; these processes are strengthened by giving the RTPJ a workout—by reading literary fiction.

Conclusions #3 If these things are true, Theory of Mind and literary fiction should influence the education and hiring of advisors. Specifically, academic advisors should read literary fiction to enhance their Theory of Mind.

Let’s give it a try… Here are the opening paragraphs to Pride and Prejudice:

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters. "My dear Mr. Bennet, " said his lady to him one day, "have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last? " Mr. Bennet replied that he had not. "But it is, " returned she; "for Mrs. Long has just been here, and she told me all about it. " Mr. Bennet made no answer. "Do you not want to know who has taken it? " cried his wife impatiently. "You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it. " This was invitation enough.

Thank you! And happy reading.

Bibliography and Further Reading • Kidd, David C. , and Emanuele Castano (2013). “Reading Literary Fiction Improves Theory of Mind. Science, vol. 342, pp. 377 -380. • Leverage, Paula, Howard Mancing, Richard Schweickert, and Jennifer Marston William (2011). Theory of Mind and Literature. West Lafayette, IN, Purdue University Press. • Saxe, R. , and N. Kanwisher (2003). “People thinking about people: The role of the temporo-parietal junction in “theory of mind, ” Neuro. Image 19, pp. 1835 -1842. • Saxe, Rebecca, and Anna Wexler (2005). “Making Sense of Another’s Mind: The role of the Right Temporo-parietal Junction. ” Neuropsychologia 48 pp. 1391 -1399. • Saxe, Rebecca, and Liane Lee Young (2014). “Theory of Mind: How Brains Think About Thoughts. ” The Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Neuroscience Vol 2. Oxford: Oxford University Press, PP 204 -213. • Zunshine, Lisa (2006). Why We Read Fiction: Theory of Mind and the Novel. Columbus, Ohio State University Press.