机器知道我们知道它知道什么吗(上)

在心理学家中，这种直觉心理学--理解他人与我们自己不同的心理状态的能力--被称为心智理论。

双语精读

Can a Machine Know That We Know What It Knows?

机器能知道我们知道它知道什么吗？

Some researchers claim that chatbots have developed theory of mind. But is that just our own theory of mind gone wild?

一些研究人员声称，聊天机器人已经发展出了心智理论。但这一看法其实是我们自己的心智理论失去控制了吗？

Mind reading is common among us humans. Not in the ways that psychics claim to do it, by gaining access to the warm streams of consciousness that fill every individual's experience, or in the ways that mentalists claim to do it, by pulling a thought out of your head at will.

读心术在我们人类中很常见。不是灵媒所说的那种方式，通过进入充盈在每个人经验之中的温暖的意识流来读心，也不是心灵魔术师所说的那种方式，通过从你的大脑中任意提取思想来读心。

Everyday mind reading is more subtle: We take in people's faces and movements, listen to their words and then decide or intuit what might be going on in their heads.

日常读心术更为微妙：我们观察人们的面部表情和动作，倾听他们的话语，然后决定或凭直觉感知他们的脑袋里可能在想些什么。

Among psychologists, such intuitive psychology -- the ability to attribute to other people mental states different from our own -- is called theory of mind, and its absence or impairment has been linked to autism, schizophrenia and other developmental disorders.

在心理学家中，这种直觉心理学--理解他人与我们自己不同的心理状态的能力--被称为心智理论，缺失心智理论或心智理论受损与自闭症、精神分裂症和其他发育障碍有关。

Theory of mind helps us communicate with and understand one another; it allows us to enjoy literature and movies, play games and make sense of our social surroundings. In many ways, the capacity is an essential part of being human.

心智理论帮助我们彼此交流和理解彼此，它让我们能够享受文学和电影、玩游戏、理解我们所处的社会环境。在许多方面，这种能力是人类不可或缺的一部分。

What if a machine could read minds, too? Recently, Michal Kosinski, a psychologist at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, made just that argument: that large language models like OpenAI's ChatGPT and GPT-4 - next-word prediction machines trained on vast amounts of text from the internet - have developed theory of mind.

如果机器也会这种读心术，那会怎么样呢？最近，斯坦福大学商学院的心理学家米哈尔·科辛斯基就提出了这种观点：像OpenAI的ChatGPT和GPT-4这样的大型语言模型--接受互联网上大量文本的训练，并能预测下一个单词的机器 -- 已经发展出了心智理论。

His studies have not been peer reviewed, but they prompted scrutiny and conversation among cognitive scientists, who have been trying to take the often asked question these days - Can ChatGPT do this? - and move it into the realm of more robust scientific inquiry.

他的研究还没有经过同行评审，但引发了认知科学家的审视和对话，认知科学家们最近一直在试图回答一个经常被问到的问题 -- ChatGPT能做到这一点吗？-- 并将这一问题至于更严谨可靠的科学探索领域。

What capacities do these models have, and how might they change our understanding of our own minds?

这些模型有哪些能力？它们会如何改变我们对自己的心智的理解？

"Psychologists wouldn't accept any claim about the capacities of young children just based on anecdotes about your interactions with them, which is what seems to be happening with ChatGPT," said Alison Gopnik, a psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley and one of the first researchers to look into theory of mind in the 1980s. "You have to do quite careful and rigorous tests."

"心理学家不会只是根据你与幼儿互动时发生的奇闻轶事，就接受关于这个幼儿的能力的任何说法，而ChatGPT现在就是这种情况。"加州大学伯克利分校的心理学家艾莉森·戈普尼克说，她也是首批在20世纪80年代研究心智理论的研究人员之一。"你必须做相当细致和严格的测试。"

Dr. Kosinski's previous research showed that neural networks trained to analyze facial features like nose shape, head angle and emotional expression could predict people's political views and sexual orientation with a startling degree of accuracy (about 72 percent in the first case and about 80 percent in the second case).

科辛斯基博士之前的研究表明，接受了鼻子形状、头部角度和情绪表情等面部特征分析训练的神经网络，能以惊人的准确率预测人们的政治观点和性取向(前者的准确率约为72%，后者约为80%)。

词汇预习

• individual [高考]

  美[ˌɪndɪˈvɪdʒuəl] | 英[ˌɪndɪˈvɪdʒuəl]

  adj. 单独的；一个人的；独有的 n. 个人；个体

• analyze [高考]

  美[ˈænəˌlaɪz] | 英['ænəlaɪz]

  vt. 分析；解析；研究

• emotional [高考]

  美[ɪˈmoʊʃənl] | 英[ɪˈməʊʃənl]

  adj. 感情的；情绪的

• essential [高考]

  美[ɪˈsenʃl] | 英[ɪˈsenʃl]

  adj. 本质的；必要的；重要的 n. 要素；必需品

• psychologist [高考]

  美[saɪˈkɑːlədʒɪst] | 英[saɪˈkɒlədʒɪst]

  n.心理学研究者，心理学家

• peer [高考]

  美[pɪr] | 英[pɪə(r)]

  n. 同辈；同等的人；贵族 vi. 凝视；窥视

• claim [高考]

  美[kleɪm] | 英[kleɪm]

  n. 索赔；宣称；声明；断言 v. 声称；宣称；认领；索取

• capacity [高考]

  美[kəˈpæsəti] | 英[kəˈpæsəti]

  n. 容量；容积；能力；职位；资格

• developmental [高考]

  美[dɪˌveləpˈmentl] | 英[dɪˌveləpˈmentl]

  adj. 发展的；进化的；开发的

• cognitive [高考]

  美[ˈkɑːɡnətɪv] | 英[ˈkɒɡnətɪv]

  adj. 认识的；认知的；有认识力的

• sexual [高考]

  美[ˈsekʃuəl] | 英[ˈsekʃuəl]

  adj. 性的；性欲的；有性生殖的；性别的

• mental [高考]

  美[ˈmentl] | 英[ˈmentl]

  adj. 思想的；心理的；精神的；脑力的 n. 精神病患者

• access [高考]

  美[ˈækses] | 英[ˈækses]

  n.入口，通道；获得的机会，使用权；（对计算机存储器的）访问，存取；（情感）爆发，发作；探视权 v. 接近，进入；获取，访问（计算机信息） adj.[美]（电视节目或时间等）对外公开的

• previous [高考]

  美[ˈpriːviəs] | 英[ˈpriːviəs]

  adj. 以前的；先于；在 ... 之前

• theory [高考]

  美[ˈθiːəri] | 英[ˈθɪəri]

  n. 学说；理论；原理；意见

• psychology [高考]

  美[saɪˈkɑːlədʒi] | 英[saɪˈkɒlədʒi]

  n. 心理；心理学

• political [高考]

  美[pəˈlɪtɪkl] | 英[pəˈlɪtɪkl]

  adj. 政治的；政治上的；政党的；人事的；争权夺利的

• vast [高考]

  美[væst] | 英[vɑːst]

  adj. 广阔的；巨大的；大量的；巨额的 n. 浩瀚；广阔无垠的空间 n. (Vast)人名；(法)瓦斯特

• accuracy [高考]

  美[ˈækjərəsi] | 英[ˈækjərəsi]

  n. 准确(性)；精确度

• angle [高考]

  美[ˈæŋɡl] | 英[ˈæŋɡl]

  n.角；角度；观点；斜角 v.钓鱼；斜移；斜置；以（某角度）报道

• absence [高考]

  美[ˈæbsəns] | 英[ˈæbsəns]

  n. 缺席；缺乏

• access to [高考]

  美[ˈæksɛs tu] | 英[ˈækses tu:]

  接近，有权使用；进入，通向…的路口

• make sense [高考]

  美[meɪk sens] | 英[meɪk sens]

  讲得通； 有意义； 言之有理

• attribute [高考]

  美[əˈtrɪbjuːt] | 英[əˈtrɪbjuːt]

  vt. 把 ... 归于 n. 属性；标志；象征；特征

• realm [高考]

  美[relm] | 英[relm]

  n. 领域；王国

• subtle [高考]

  美[ˈsʌtl] | 英[ˈsʌtl]

  adj. 微妙的；敏锐的；不明显的；精细的；狡猾的

• surroundings [高考]

  美[səˈraʊndɪŋz] | 英[səˈraʊndɪŋz]

  n. 周围的事物；环境

• inquiry [四级]

  美[ɪnˈkwaɪəri] | 英[ɪnˈkwaɪəri]

  n. 调查；询问；打听；查问

• consciousness [四级]

  美[ˈkɑːnʃəsnəs] | 英[ˈkɒnʃəsnəs]

  n. 意识；知觉；自觉；觉悟

• rigorous [四级]

  美[ˈrɪɡərəs] | 英[ˈrɪɡərəs]

  adj. 严格的；严厉的；严峻的；细致的

• neural [四级]

  美[ˈnʊrəl] | 英[ˈnjʊərəl]

  adj. 神经的

• intuitive [六级]

  美[ɪnˈtuːɪtɪv] | 英[ɪnˈtjuːɪtɪv]

  adj. 直觉的

• robust [六级]

  美[roʊˈbʌst] | 英[rəʊˈbʌst]

  adj. 强健的；稳固的；耐用的；粗野的；浓的

• scrutiny [六级]

  美[ˈskruːtəni] | 英[ˈskruːtəni]

  n. 监视；细看；周密的调查

• orientation [六级]

  美[ˌɔːriənˈteɪʃn] | 英[ˌɔːriənˈteɪʃn]

  n. 适应；定位；情况介绍；信仰；倾向；[计]定向；（学生）迎新会

• based on [六级]

  美[best ɑn] | 英[beɪst ɔn]

  以 ... 为基础； 基于

• out of [六级]

  美[aʊt ʌv] | 英[aut ɔv]

  prep. 离…一段距离；从…里；离开 ...；出于

• schizophrenia [专八]

  美[ˌskɪtsəˈfriniə, -ˈfrɛniə] | 英[ˌskɪtsəˈfri:niə]

  n. 精神分裂症

• trying [专八]

  美[ˈtraɪɪŋ] | 英[ˈtraɪɪŋ]

  adj. 难受的；令人厌烦的

• startling [托福]

  美[ˈstɑːrtlɪŋ] | 英[ˈstɑːtlɪŋ]

  adj. 惊人的

重点讲解

Can a Machine Know That We Know What It Knows?

机器能知道我们知道它知道什么吗？

go/run wild  失去控制；失去约束

【例】The garden has gone wild. 

花园荒芜了。

Let your imagination go wild. 

让你的想象力自由驰骋吧。

Some researchers claim that chatbots have developed theory of mind. But is that just our own theory of mind gone wild?

一些研究人员声称，聊天机器人已经发展出了心智理论。但这一看法其实是我们自己的心智理论失去控制了吗？

go/run wild  失去控制；失去约束

【例】The garden has gone wild. 

花园荒芜了。

Let your imagination go wild. 

让你的想象力自由驰骋吧。

Mind reading is common among us humans. Not in the ways that psychics claim to do it, by gaining access to the warm streams of consciousness that fill every individual's experience, or in the ways that mentalists claim to do it, by pulling a thought out of your head at will.

读心术在我们人类中很常见。不是灵媒所说的那种方式，通过进入充盈在每个人经验之中的温暖的意识流来读心，也不是心灵魔术师所说的那种方式，通过从你的大脑中任意提取思想来读心。

at will   任意；随意

【例】They were able to come and go at will. 

他们能够来去自由。

【拓展】at (one’s) whim   随心所欲地

【例】Lately, the president has been sacking and picking new ministers at whim.

最近，总统在随心所欲地解雇和任命新部长。

Everyday mind reading is more subtle: We take in people's faces and movements, listen to their words and then decide or intuit what might be going on in their heads.

日常读心术更为微妙：我们观察人们的面部表情和动作，倾听他们的话语，然后决定或凭直觉感知他们的脑袋里可能在想些什么。

intuit   v. 凭直觉知道

【例】She intuited that something was badly wrong. 

她凭直觉感到出了大问题。

【拓展】intuition  n. 直觉

Among psychologists, such intuitive psychology -- the ability to attribute to other people mental states different from our own -- is called theory of mind, and its absence or impairment has been linked to autism, schizophrenia and other developmental disorders.

在心理学家中，这种直觉心理学--理解他人与我们自己不同的心理状态的能力--被称为心智理论，缺失心智理论或心智理论受损与自闭症、精神分裂症和其他发育障碍有关。

attribute sth to...  

1. 把某事归因于……

【例】She attributes her success to hard work and a little luck. 

她把自己的成功归因于努力和一点运气。

2. 认为某事是……所为/说/写/作

【例】He attributes this pottery to the Bronze Age. 

他认为这种陶器是青铜时代的遗物。

【近义词】ascribe sth to...  把某事归因于……；认为某事是……所为

impairment   （身体或智力方面的）缺陷，损伤

【例】visual impairments 视力受损

【拓展】impair  v. 损害；削弱

【例】Drinking impairs a person's ability to think clearly.

饮酒损害清楚思考的能力。

Theory of mind helps us communicate with and understand one another; it allows us to enjoy literature and movies, play games and make sense of our social surroundings. In many ways, the capacity is an essential part of being human.

心智理论帮助我们彼此交流和理解彼此，它让我们能够享受文学和电影、玩游戏、理解我们所处的社会环境。在许多方面，这种能力是人类不可或缺的一部分。

make sense of  理解；弄懂

【例】I've read the letter twice, but I can't make sense of it.

我把信读了两遍，但我还是看不懂它的意思。

【拓展】make sense  有道理；讲得通

【例】Everything he said made sense. I'd definitely vote for him.

他说得都有道理。我绝对会给他投票。

What if a machine could read minds, too? Recently, Michal Kosinski, a psychologist at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, made just that argument: that large language models like OpenAI's ChatGPT and GPT-4 — next-word prediction machines trained on vast amounts of text from the internet — have developed theory of mind.

如果机器也会这种读心术，那会怎么样呢？最近，斯坦福大学商学院的心理学家米哈尔·科辛斯基就提出了这种观点：像OpenAI的ChatGPT和GPT-4这样的大型语言模型--接受互联网上大量文本的训练，并能预测下一个单词的机器 -- 已经发展出了心智理论。

make sense of  理解；弄懂

【例】I've read the letter twice, but I can't make sense of it.

我把信读了两遍，但我还是看不懂它的意思。

【拓展】make sense  有道理；讲得通

【例】Everything he said made sense. I'd definitely vote for him.

他说得都有道理。我绝对会给他投票。

His studies have not been peer reviewed, but they prompted scrutiny and conversation among cognitive scientists, who have been trying to take the often asked question these days — Can ChatGPT do this? — and move it into the realm of more robust scientific inquiry.

他的研究还没有经过同行评审，但引发了认知科学家的审视和对话，认知科学家们最近一直在试图回答一个经常被问到的问题 -- ChatGPT能做到这一点吗？-- 并将这一问题至于更严谨可靠的科学探索领域。

scrutiny   n. 仔细的检查

【例】His work looks all right, but it will not bear scrutiny．

他的工作看上去不错，但是经不起细察。

【近义词】examination   n. 仔细检查；审查

【辨析】inspection  n. 检查；视察   review  n. 审核；复查

robust   adj.

1. （人或动植物）强壮的；茁壮的

【例】a robust young man 身强力壮的青年

2. （物）结实的；耐用的

【例】a robust pair of boots 一双结实耐穿的靴子

What capacities do these models have, and how might they change our understanding of our own minds?

这些模型有哪些能力？它们会如何改变我们对自己的心智的理解？

scrutiny   n. 仔细的检查

【例】His work looks all right, but it will not bear scrutiny．

他的工作看上去不错，但是经不起细察。

【近义词】examination   n. 仔细检查；审查

【辨析】inspection  n. 检查；视察   review  n. 审核；复查

robust   adj.

1. （人或动植物）强壮的；茁壮的

【例】a robust young man 身强力壮的青年

2. （物）结实的；耐用的

【例】a robust pair of boots 一双结实耐穿的靴子

"Psychologists wouldn't accept any claim about the capacities of young children just based on anecdotes about your interactions with them, which is what seems to be happening with ChatGPT," said Alison Gopnik, a psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley and one of the first researchers to look into theory of mind in the 1980s. "You have to do quite careful and rigorous tests."

"心理学家不会只是根据你与幼儿互动时发生的奇闻轶事，就接受关于这个幼儿的能力的任何说法，而ChatGPT现在就是这种情况。"加州大学伯克利分校的心理学家艾莉森·戈普尼克说，她也是首批在20世纪80年代研究心智理论的研究人员之一。"你必须做相当细致和严格的测试。"

look into   调查；研究；审查

【例】We're looking into the possibility of merging the two departments.

我们正在研究把两个部门合并起来的可能性。

【近义词】examine  v. 仔细调查；审查

【拓展】与look相关的一些词组：

1. look over   快速察看（从而获得整体印象）

【例】Would you quickly look over these figures for me and see if there are any obvious mistakes?

你能帮我扫一眼这些数据，看看有没有明显错误吗？

2. look through   从头至尾地浏览；翻阅

【例】He looked through the applications and picked out the best. 

他翻阅了所有申请表并挑出了最佳人选。

Dr. Kosinski's previous research showed that neural networks trained to analyze facial features like nose shape, head angle and emotional expression could predict people's political views and sexual orientation with a startling degree of accuracy (about 72 percent in the first case and about 80 percent in the second case).

科辛斯基博士之前的研究表明，接受了鼻子形状、头部角度和情绪表情等面部特征分析训练的神经网络，能以惊人的准确率预测人们的政治观点和性取向(前者的准确率约为72%，后者约为80%)。

orientation   n.

1. 方向；定位

【例】The school has an orientation towards practical skills.

那所学校的定位偏向教授实用技能。

2. （个人的）态度，取向

【例】religious/political orientation  宗教/政治取向

3. 入职培训；迎新会

【例】an orientation session for college freshmen  大学迎新会

case   n. 具体情况；特殊情况

【例】Finishing college education takes at least four years, or 5 in the case of medical students.

读完大学至少需要4年，医学生的话需要5年。

Every application will be decided on a case-by-case basis. 

对于各项申请，将具体情况具体分析。

课后练习

• What can be learned about theory of mind?

  A. It originates from the ancient legends of psychics.

  B. It explores the nature of people’s subconscious.

  C. It is the capacity to infer other people’s thoughts.

  D. It often leads people to draw wrong conclusions.

• One of the functions of theory of mind is that ____.

  A. it promotes the development of human brain

  B. it helps alleviate certain mental disorders

  C. it facilitates interpersonal communication

  D. it lays the foundation of human civilization

• According to the text, Alison Gopnik believed that ____.

  A. machines like ChatGPT didn’t have theory of mind

  B. the ability of language models was overestimated

  C. there was a lack of research on artificial intelligence

  D. conclusions should be supported by solid evidence

• Dr. Kosinski's previous research showed that ____.

  A. large language models could predict people’s political views

  B. neural networks displayed theory of mind to a certain extent

  C. facial features were connected with people’s mental states

  D. machines could capture more subtle information than humans