The MIND-READING PARADOX of the Digital Era: challenges of Theory of Mind and Sources of Interpersonal Misunderstandings

Huang Haodong (2025) The MIND-READING PARADOX of the Digital Era: challenges of Theory of Mind and Sources of Interpersonal Misunderstandings. ['eprint_fieldopt_faculty_mük' not defined]. (Kéziratban)

	PDF TDK Thesis.pdf Hozzáférés joga: Csak nyilvántartásba vett egyetemi IP címekről nyitható meg Download (704kB)
	Microsoft Word Resume.docx Hozzáférés joga: Csak nyilvántartásba vett egyetemi IP címekről nyitható meg Download (18kB)
	PDF Resume.pdf Hozzáférés joga: Csak nyilvántartásba vett egyetemi IP címekről nyitható meg Download (107kB)
	PDF evaluation.pdf Hozzáférés joga: Bizalmas dokumentum (bírálat) Download (7MB)
	PDF Huang Haodong_ Research Evaluation.pdf Hozzáférés joga: Bizalmas dokumentum (bírálat) Download (208kB)

Absztrakt (kivonat)

Abstract The social transformation from Electronic Industrial Age to Digital Era has shaped a paradigm shift not merely in the form of how humans communicate, but in the very fabric of our social cognitive environment. So, this paper posits that the digital landscape, such as social media platforms, algorithmic curations, datafication, virtual identities, and immersive technologies constitute a novel digital cognitive and communicated ecology. Within this new mediated environment, the traditional, embodied cues, such as tone, gesture, and shared context which is essential for the operation of Theory of Mind (ToM), the core human capacity to attribute mental states to others to predict and explain behavior, are systematically changed, which eventually leads to a pervasive "mind-reading dilemma." In order to resolve the dilemma, this paper addresses three key questions. Differentiation: What are the qualitative differences in the manifestation of Theory of Mind from Electronic Industrial Age (synchronicity, locality, Broadcast) to Digital Era (asynchronicity, placelessness, algorithmic intermediation) of the present day? Mechanism: How do the core structural features of the Digital Era (cue-leanness, context collapse, algorithmic intermediation) systematically influence the specific processes of ToM (cue interpretation. mental modeling, empathic resonance) and generate the patterns of interpersonal misunderstanding? Resolution: Building on this comparative and diagnostic analysis, what effective strategies and interventions can be developed to remediate these misunderstandings and foster a "Digital Theory of Mind"? Methodologically, based on the questions above, this research employs a mixed-methods approach to triangulate these complex phenomena. Quantitatively, this research includes: (1) A Second False-Belief Task[1], which replicates the False-Belief Task developed in 1983 to investigate macroscopic changes about contemporary ToM performance between two different ages. (2) A Communication Scenarios Experiment, which applies different digital contexts (video, social post and text) to examine the accuracy and confidence of mental state inference, and to uncover the mediating and moderating mechanisms at play. And other secondary experiments, such as (3) Cognitive Load Experiment that directly tests the impact of cognitive load, inherent to digital environments on ToM performance. Together, the quantitative approaches will develop more beyond their description to provide explanatory power, more importantly, yield measurable data of our essential capacity to understand one another. Qualitatively, this study comprises in-depth interviews and discursive analysis of digital communication, which will provide rich, contextualized data on lived experiences of misunderstanding and the strategies individuals employ to navigate the opaque mental states of others online. During the interview, the representatives of diverse cultural backgrounds will be intentionally involved, throughout the cross-cultural comparative lens, the answer to the core question, how the specific features of digital age influence human communication and lead the reshaping of ToM, will be examined in a significant deepened and burdened investigation based on distinct cultural frameworks. By revealing how digital characteristics systematically impair our ability to understand each other, this work provides the foundation for new digital literacy. It empowers us to mitigate personal conflict and guides the ethical design of future technologies, fostering genuine human connection in an increasingly mediated world.

Intézmény

Budapesti Gazdasági Egyetem

Kar

['eprint_fieldopt_faculty_mük' not defined]

Tudományterület/tudományág

NEM RÉSZLETEZETT

Szak

Kommunikáció és médiatudomány

Mű típusa:	TDK dolgozat
Kulcsszavak:	CognitivePsychology, CognitiveScience, communication, CrossCulturalStudy, DigitalCommunication, MediaStudies
SWORD Depositor:	User Archive
Felhasználói azonosító szám (ID):	User Archive
Rekord készítés dátuma:	2026. Ápr. 16. 07:37
Utolsó módosítás:	2026. Ápr. 16. 07:37

Actions (login required)

Tétel nézet