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Is self-awareness necessary to have a theory of mind?

Tony CalmetteHélène Meunier
Published in: Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society (2024)
Forty years ago, Gallup proposed that theory of mind presupposes self-awareness. Following Humphrey, his hypothesis was that individuals can infer the mental states of others thanks to the ability to monitor their own mental states in similar circumstances. Since then, advances in several disciplines, such as comparative and developmental psychology, have provided empirical evidence to test Gallup's hypothesis. Herein, we review and discuss this evidence.
Keyphrases
  • mental health