Behavioral and Brain Sciences

Table of Contents - 2008 - Volume 31, Issue 01  

Open Peer Commentary

More than control freaks: Evaluative and motivational functions of goals

Fabio Paglieria1 and Cristiano Castelfranchia1

a1 Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie della Cognizione, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 00185 Rome, Italy. fabio.paglieri@istc.cnr.it http://www.media.unisi.it/cirg/fp/paglieri.html cristiano.castelfranchi@istc.cnr.it http://www.istc.cnr.it/createhtml.php?nbr=62

Abstract

True to its sensorimotor inspiration, Hurley's shared circuits model (SCM) describes goal-states only within a homeostatic mechanism for action control, neglecting to consider other functions of goals – namely, evaluation and motivation. This restriction thwarts Hurley's project of identifying the information resources enabling social cognition. In order to master intentional behavior, deliberation, and action understanding, we need to be more than just “control freaks.”

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    The shared circuits model (SCM): How control, mirroring, and simulation can enable imitation, deliberation, and mindreading Susan Hurley Department of Philosophy, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TB, and All Souls College, Oxford University, Oxford OX1 4AL, United Kingdom Susan.hurley@bristol.ac.uk http://eis.bris.ac.uk/~plslh/