Children's development theory of mind.

Reviews literature concerning young children's development of a theory of mind. Important precursors of a theory of mind are found much earlier than age 4 yrs. Research on emotional development and intentional communication shows that some rudimentary understanding of other people's minds occurs before the age of 2 yrs. The understanding of the internal nature of emotions is probably reached around the age of 2 yrs. The understanding of desires precedes the understanding of beliefs. Engagement in pretense and deception at around 3 yrs of age demonstrates a more sophisticated understanding of other people's mental states. However, 3 yr olds pass some but not all versions of the false belief task, thereby calling into question its methodology. Some studies show that 3 yr olds understand the representational nature of beliefs concerning pretense and deception. Pretense seems to bring about certain competencies that the false belief and the appearance-reality task fail to show. Three yr olds have difficulty reporting the source of their beliefs.