This volume examines the links between scientific cognition and folk ways of thoughts. It poses two questions: what is the nature of folk psychology and how is it related to scientific psychology; and what should the relationship be between the two areas?

The past decade has witnessed an explosion of interest and research on close relationships and social cognition. In both areas, numerous handbooks, textbooks, and journal articles have been published. However, it is the editors' impression that although cognitive theories and concepts have filtered through to research dealing with close relationships, much of this research reflects a relatively untutored understanding of the theoretical and empirical work in social cognition. Conversely, the research literature that provides a more sophisticated perspective on the role of cognition in close...