Heller Daphna, Brown-Schmidt Sarah
University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2025 Aug 14;380(1932):20230503. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0503.
The Multiple Perspectives Theory (MPT) is a cognitive architecture that aims to provide a mechanistic account of the ways in which mental states are represented and used in communication. The theory posits a cognitive architecture with two representations: a representation of self and a representation of the other, as well as a cognitive process that compares these representations to identify epistemic (a)symmetries. We illustrate how this theory can explain some of the most basic linguistic constructions and commonplace conversational moves, namely standard questions used to request information. We present examples of questions (e.g. ), polar () questions (e.g. ) and rising declaratives (e.g. ) and argue that these conversational moves cannot be modelled by appealing to just one perspective. Instead, this requires considering the perspectives of both conversational partners, and computing their relative epistemic status. The fact that this ubiquitous, literal conversational move cannot be modelled without appealing to mental states provides strong evidence to the position that mental states are routinely used in communication. Thus, in this paper, we not only consider mental states are used in communication-our answer is always-but also present an account of they are used, specifically to model questions.This article is part of the theme issue 'At the heart of human communication: new views on the complex relationship between pragmatics and Theory of Mind.'
多重视角理论（MPT）是一种认知架构，旨在对心理状态在交流中被表征和使用的方式提供一种机制性解释。该理论假定了一种具有两种表征的认知架构：自我表征和他人表征，以及一个比较这些表征以识别认知（非）对称性的认知过程。我们阐述了该理论如何能够解释一些最基本的语言结构和常见的对话举动，即用于询问信息的标准问题。我们给出了疑问句（例如 ）、极性疑问句（例如 ）和升调陈述句（例如 ）的例子，并认为这些对话举动无法仅通过诉诸一种视角来建模。相反，这需要考虑对话双方的视角，并计算他们相对的认知状态。这种无处不在的、字面意义上的对话举动如果不诉诸心理状态就无法建模，这一事实为心理状态在交流中被常规使用的观点提供了有力证据。因此，在本文中，我们不仅探讨了心理状态在交流中是如何被使用的——我们的答案始终是肯定的——而且还阐述了它们是如何被使用的，具体来说是如何用于对问题进行建模的。本文是主题为“人类交流的核心：关于语用学与心理理论之间复杂关系的新观点”这一特刊的一部分。
