Does the Data Scientist Have a Theory of Mind?
By: Art Conroy
Tags: Teamwork, Project Management, Psychology, Data Science, Data Visualization

Does the Data Scientist Have a Theory of Mind?

Unlikely, But Easy to Check

Photo by Andre Mouton on Unsplash

David Premack and Guy Woodruff published a paper in 1978 asking whether the chimpanzee has a theory of mind, and by extension, others have asked the same question of humans? The abstract from the paper provides a succinct description of the theory.

“Abstract: An individual has a theory of mind if he (or she)imputes mental states to himself and others. A system of inferences of this kind is properly viewed as a theory because such states are not directly observable, and the system can be used to make predictions about the behavior of others. As to the mental states the chimpanzee may infer, consider those inferred by our own species, for example, 1) purpose or intention, as well as 2) knowledge, 3) belief, 4) thinking, 5) doubt, 6) guessing, 7) pretending, 8) liking, and so forth.” (the enumeration is mine).

Yet, the closer the project or product manager can come to understanding these cognitive states of mind, the greater the chance for team success. The project sponsor (she/he) doesn’t have to be a data scientist. But, the team lead should be able to explain the project to a 4th grader.

Are Such States Directly Observable?

Well, yes and no. I work across a number of data science teams. Each team has a makeup of unique and individual minds. It would be very time consuming to elicit the inferences driving the goals and objectives of the project as described by Premack and Woodruff. The alternative strategy in vogue with data science teams is to give them tools and let them go at it. Claire D. has a post about tools, for example.

Is it science fiction to think that we will have a Kickstarter Project delivering the perfect Mind of the Data Scientist Headset, similar to the hardware being developed by Mendi, a Stockholm based start-up? Inquiring minds are waiting.

The Perfect Alternative

I am a big fan of asking another human being to draw me a sketch of what they are thinking. Napkins work, but whiteboards are ready-made for these types of collaboration sessions.

Don’t call them brain-storming sessions, design sprints, mind-mapping exercises, or the like. Call the session a Theory of Mind Exercise. This guarantees that everyone shows up, early, and with a hot cup of Joe, and just a little anticipatory energy. Eye rolling is non-existent.

The rules are simple. Tell them to use just simple shapes (triangles, squares, and circles) to draw diagrams that answer the following questions;

What is the purpose or intention of the project? Do you have the knowledge to meet these project objectives? What do you believe success looks like? Does the team share your way of thinking about the project? Do you have any doubts about the value of the project? What aspects of the project do you think is pure guesswork? Are there others pretending to understand that “they think they know” what you are thinking? Do you like your team members and do they like you? (Optional, but guaranteed to spark fireworks if the team is already dysfunctional)

If the team is small (less than five members), I have found the white board works. If the team is any larger, my approach is to select three questions from the list above, give each team member three sheets of blank copy paper, ask them to select a couple crayons from a box I carry with me (always), and answer each question with a diagram. If you have seven team members, you will end up with 21 diagrams.

Stand back and let the games begin.

Three minutes per question is enough. Ten minutes and you are done. Invite each person to describe their answers (theory of mind made external). The result will be that a conversation will grow from the sharing of perspectives. A collective set of inferences, objectives, and methods will bubble up to the surface. Pick someone to be the artist. Ask them to create a new unified diagram to represent the project. The diagram becomes an invaluable tool to guide ongoing discussions as the project progresses.

Diagrammatic elicitation using abstract diagrams is a newly emerging research tool in the arts and sciences. This “diagram technique” is just one of several new ways to thinking about thinking. Can read more about topic in the book by Barbara Tversky, Mind in Motion-How Action Shapes Thought (2019, Basic Books) and a Youtube of her describing the book here.

To quote Barbara — “All thought begins as spatial thought”.

I don’t think a data science team or the individual members have an explicit theory of mind until the explore and share their thinking with others.

Best to get the data scientists thinking out in the open for everyone to see before another one (data science project) bites the dust.