Intentionality

Relevance

Intentionality in the more philosophical sense is relevant to the study of communication disorders. The debate about experiences of qualia, that is, consciousness of sensations, such as redness and pain, versus more intentional mentalizing and experiences, relates to the debate whether consciousness and intentionality are the same or two different things and to the debate about possible levels of consciousness and levels of intentionality. It is also relevant for how people can conceive of experiences and thoughts from evolutionary and developmental perspectives. The term theory of mind (ToM) (forming beliefs about other persons’ beliefs), which also draws on intentionality in this sense, is relevant for describing communication development and disorders. Communication can have or not have intentionality in this sense, that is, be directed toward something/about something or not.

In the more everyday sense of intentionality, communication can be described as intentional (i.e., intended) or unintentional or at different levels or degrees of intentionality.

The rest of this entry focuses on the role of intentions and intentionality in describing and explaining communicative development and disorders of communication.

Intentionality in Developing Communication

Communication and intentionality are closely linked. The question of whether all communication requires intentionality or whether one should rather describe communication as taking place at different levels of intentionality and awareness is relevant with respect to both senses described above. In the study of developmental communication and communication disorders, levels of intentionality are useful and probable constructs.

In the development of communication, focusing, coordination, and interactive turn management and joint attention using eye gaze and pointing are seen as a crucial steps. Some of this interaction, the eye gaze focusing on the parent’s face and the mirroring of, for example, tongue protrusion, taking the turn, alternating with and mirroring the parent’s facial expression, occurs very early and can be assumed to take place with a low degree of intentionality, being fairly reflex-like, but it requires attention and initiates communicative interaction.

Another crucial step in communication, which facilitates vocabulary learning, is joint attention with the parent on an object or action. Joint attention by joint eye gaze in the same direction and the use of pointing, coordinated with eye gaze, is a tool for the child, leading to a “vocabulary explosion.” This development starts by the joint attention eye gaze, building on the less intentional mirroring, then adding reaching for the focused object, which, together with more or less mirroring the pointing of the parent leads to more intentional pointing and asking, “What’s that?”

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