The teleological stance: Past, present, and future

• Published in: Developmental science 2020-09, Vol.23 (5), p.e12970-n/a
• Main Authors: Juvrud, Joshua, Gredebäck, Gustaf
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Fetuses; goal‐directed action; Habituation; infancy; referential action; teleological reasoning; Teleology
• ISSN: 1363-755X; 1467-7687; 1467-7687
• DOI: 10.1111/desc.12970

We review the support for, and criticisms of, the teleological stance theory, often described as a foundation for goal‐directed action understanding early in life. A major point of contention in the literature has been how teleological processes and assumptions of rationality are represented and understood in infancy, and this debate has been largely centered on three paradigms. Visual habituation studies assess infant's abilities to retrospectively assess teleological processes; the presence of such processes is supported by the literature. Rational imitation is a phenomenon that has been questioned both theoretically and empirically, and there is currently little support for this concept in the literature. The involvement of teleological processes in action prediction is unclear. To date, the ontology of teleological processes remains unspecified. To remedy this, we present a new action‐based theory of teleological processes (here referred to as the embodied account of teleological processes), based on the development of goal‐directed reaching with its origin during the fetal period and continuous development over the first few months of life. Teleological processes and assumptions of rationality that are represented and understood in infancy have been largely centered on three paradigms: visual habituation, rational imitation, and action prediction. To date, the ontology of teleological processes remains unspecified. We present a new action‐based theory of teleological processes (here referred to as the embodied account of teleological processes), based on the development of goal‐directed reaching with its origin during the fetal period and continuous development over the first few months of life.