Cognitive models of theory of mind in a game

What is it about?

Behavior oftentimes allows for many possible interpretations in terms of mental states, such as goals, beliefs, desires, and intentions. Reasoning about the relation between behavior and mental states is therefore considered to be an effortful process. We argue that people use simple strategies to deal with high cognitive demands of mental state inference. To test this hypothesis, we developed a computational cognitive model, which was able to simulate previous empirical findings: In two-player games, people apply simple strategies at first. They only start revising their strategies when these do not pay off. The model could simulate these findings by recursively attributing its own problem-solving skills to the other player, thus increasing the complexity of its own inferences. The model was validated by comparing its results with findings from a study with children, who demonstrated similar strategic development.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

There is some controversy in the literature about what people are doing when they make non-optimal decisions in strategic games. Our model suggests that people try to make do with strategies that are simple until they receive negative feedback. Therefore, people do not spontaneously apply second-order theory of mind, even if that would be benefivial for them.