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 and academic advising ID: 710123
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Slide1
Theory of Mind, Literary Fiction, and Academic Advising
Peter L. Hagen, Stockton University
Julie Givans Voller,
Phoenix College:
a Maricopa Community CollegeSlide2
Learning outcomes for this session;Understand the connection between Theory of Mind and academic advising
Recognize
the effect reading literary fiction has on the development of Theory of Mind
Recognize
how research on literary fiction and
ToM
may influence the education of academic advisorsSlide3
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
storySlide4
Theory of Mind and AdvisingIn 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. Slide5
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)Slide6
“The RTPJ region shows a high response only when the story describes someone’s thoughts and beliefs”
(
Saxe and Young, 2014, p. 208). Slide7
Theory of Mind and Literary Fiction
“
We submit that fiction affects
ToM
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
ToM
processes” (Kidd and
Castano, 2013, p. 377) Slide8
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 literatureSlide9
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
Readers of literary fiction must deal with
multiple levels of mind reading at the same time. Slide10
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). Slide11
Conclusion #1
R
eading
literary fiction improves our capacity to advise well because it enhances our Theory of Mind. Slide12
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. Slide13
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.Slide14
Here are the opening paragraphs to Pride and Prejudice:
Let’s give it a try…Slide15
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. Slide16Slide17
Thank you! And happy reading.Slide18
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,”
NeuroImage
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.