Child Development: Understanding Theory of Mind

Extract

[...] In other words, the seven-year-old child has perfect knowledge that Isabelle, who has no knowledge of the contents of the box, will refer to her only belief in the existence of "smarties" candies, although it is false. In addition, he also understands that the attitude of others can be influenced by their beliefs. A seven-year-old child can indeed and effectively make the distinction between his knowledge and that of another and grasp the "interpretive nature" of the mind, according to which a child can have different conceptions of the same data. (Thommen and Rimbert, 2005)" 3. [...]

[...] In reality, it was grapes that were in the box of "smarties" and not candies as indicated by the box. A seven-year-old child will know that another person can be deceived by relying on appearances. He can easily understand that he is in the presence of a deception session and also understands that others have different knowledge and beliefs than his own. Finally, the evolution of a seven-year-old child's mind is much more important than that of a three-year-old child because he will also understand that these beliefs exert an influence on people's attitudes. [...]

[...] The expected response from a three-year-old child to the experimenter's question is: "there are grapes in the box" because at his age, he has not yet understood that Isabelle does not have the same knowledge as him. He has not yet acquired the understanding of "representational nature" and the difference in knowledge between himself and another child. The true theory of mind has not yet developed in him because he does not possess at his age the ability to understand the thoughts and emotions of others. He also cannot predict the feelings of another person, whether it is a child, an adolescent or an adult. 2. [...]