Abstract
This chaper is about the origins and significance of an apparently simple behavior - looking into the eyes of other people. In this chapter the author suggests a theoretical framework for interpreting the significance of eye contact in humans Homo sapiens, and then explores its occurrence in nonhuman primates. The author suggests that eye contact in humans is a case of 'ostensive behaviour' - that is, a way to express and assess communicative intent - and, as such, an important sign of higher cognitive processes. He then explores a purported behavioral difference between monkeys and apes - their reactions to eye contact - and to what extent it reflects an important difference in cognition and communication. The author concludes that the great apes seem to be capable of some sort of ostensive function by means of eye contact. The problem of ostension is closely related to that of mind-reading or theory of mind. Ostension through eye contact seems to involve some mechanisms close to what have been described as theory of mind and it could give us a clue as to the origins of this complex cognitive ability.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Reaching into thought: The minds of the great apes |
| Pages | 131-151 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Publication status | Published - 1996 |