Nichols, S. & Stich, S. (2000)
A cognitive theory of pretense.
Cognition. 74 (2), 115-147.

2000 June 05

Possible criticisms of Stich and Nichols model:

• ignores the evolutionary and developmental timeline of hypothetical reasonin
• no mention of large knowledge base on memory processes
• does not adequately account for pretense as separate from imagination

2000 June 23

The content of the belief space is not imported whole-sale into the pretense space. Only the values that are different need to be specified in the pretense space. Because the pretense space is nested inside the executive space (belief space), the values that are not specified, as a default, remain in the executive space, which remains active.

The so-called "Script Elaborator" is not a special device hooked up to the pretense space. It is the x-schemas, strategies, cultural schemas that exist in the possibility space of the pretender and they are the reason that the pretender enters the pretend space. The design of pretense is to facilitate the elaboration of x-schemas and cultural schemas. We need to consider the relation of the possibility space to the pretense space and defining strategies in relation to schemas.

The "Updater" does function to maintain the executive space. We get around the function that Stich assigns to the updater (namely to negate propositions only valid in the belief space) because in our model, only those values that are different need to be specified in the first place. However, we still need an updater in the pretense space. The pretender must track the pretended state of things as they develop and the executive space must also be updated. Perspectival updating in the executive space can occur without disrupting play but belief updating will be disruptive, as they require WM processing.