83  Second-Order False Belief

Theory of Mind
False Beliefs
Higher-Order Reasoning
Social Cognition
Cognitive Psychology

83.1 Description:

This task involves understanding that an agent may hold a false belief about another agent’s belief, leading to misinterpretations of actions or intentions. It additionally involves the understanding that an agent may know the false belief of another agent is incorrect. It evaluates the model’s ability to reason about higher-order beliefs and their implications.

83.2 Modality:

Text only

83.3 Examples:

83.3.1 Example 1:

Input:

Yelena tells Alice that Joseph has nice hair. Yelena then goes up to Joseph and tells him that she made him look good in front of Alice - that she highlighted his hair. Alice mishears what Yelena said as Joseph having lice in his hair - and she is disgusted by the thought of being near him. In his next interaction with Alice, is Joseph likely to start out confident about his hair?

Output:

Joseph is likely to start out confident about his hair. He knows that Yelena told Alice that he has nice hair, and he is unaware of Alice's misinterpretation. Therefore, he would not expect Alice to be disgusted by his hair.

83.3.2 Example 2:

Input:

Bob and Felicia are children who both believe in the tooth fairy. Bob then learns from his mother that the tooth fairy isn't real. The next day at school, a kid claims that he can get the tooth fairy to visit you for five dollars - and Felicia is super enthusiastic to pay. Bob knows that Felicia loves the tooth fairy and cares about her feelings, but he also knows the tooth fairy isn't real. How is he likely to act in the situation?

Output:

Bob is likely to tell Felicia that the kid can't get the tooth fairy to visit for five dollars, without referencing the accuracy of her belief in the tooth fairy. Bob knows that Felicia believes in the tooth fairy, and he also knows that the tooth fairy isn't real. Bob would likely want to protect Felicia from being misled or disappointed by the false claim, so he would likely intervene to prevent her from spending money on a false promise. However, he would do so in a way that doesn't inform Felicia about the tooth fairy not being real to avoid upsetting her.

83.4 Tags:

  • Theory of Mind
  • False Beliefs
  • Higher-Order Reasoning
  • Social Cognition
  • Cognitive Psychology