ABSTRACT
In the scholastic tradition, brought to psychology in the 19th century by Franz Brentano and to modern ears by John Searle and Daniel Dennett, intentionality is a term used to describe mental states that are directed at, or are about, objects and states of affairs in the world. Psychologists often contrast the relative influence of nature and nurture, but it would be ludicrous to deny the importance of the parent’s role in the infant’s psychological development. Tomasello extends the reasoning to suggest that when infants are treated as intentional, they come to understand that others are intentional agents, which in turn facilitates their acquisition of language. High intentionality scores were also assigned when the infant participates in a social game. From this informal categorization of clips, it would appear that a third cue for intentionality is perceptual vigilance. Some parents may hold an inappropriately overstated view of infant intentionality in which the infant must be punished for intentional misdemeanors.
