<P> Understanding of others ' intentions is another critical precursor to understanding other minds because intentionality , or `` aboutness '' , is a fundamental feature of mental states and events . The `` intentional stance '' has been defined by Daniel Dennett as an understanding that others ' actions are goal - directed and arise from particular beliefs or desires . Both 2 - and 3 - year - old children could discriminate when an experimenter intentionally vs. accidentally marked a box with stickers as baited . Even earlier in ontogeny , Andrew N. Meltzoff found that 18 - month - old infants could perform target manipulations that adult experimenters attempted and failed , suggesting the infants could represent the object - manipulating behavior of adults as involving goals and intentions . While attribution of intention ( the box - marking ) and knowledge ( false - belief tasks ) is investigated in young humans and nonhuman animals to detect precursors to a theory of mind , Gagliardi et al. have pointed out that even adult humans do not always act in a way consistent with an attributional perspective . In the experiment , adult human subjects made choices about baited containers when guided by confederates who could not see ( and therefore , not know ) which container was baited . </P>
<P> Understanding of others ' intentions is another critical precursor to understanding other minds because intentionality , or `` aboutness '' , is a fundamental feature of mental states and events . The `` intentional stance '' has been defined by Daniel Dennett as an understanding that others ' actions are goal - directed and arise from particular beliefs or desires . Both 2 - and 3 - year - old children could discriminate when an experimenter intentionally vs. accidentally marked a box with stickers as baited . Even earlier in ontogeny , Andrew N. Meltzoff found that 18 - month - old infants could perform target manipulations that adult experimenters attempted and failed , suggesting the infants could represent the object - manipulating behavior of adults as involving goals and intentions . While attribution of intention ( the box - marking ) and knowledge ( false - belief tasks ) is investigated in young humans and nonhuman animals to detect precursors to a theory of mind , Gagliardi et al. have pointed out that even adult humans do not always act in a way consistent with an attributional perspective . In the experiment , adult human subjects made choices about baited containers when guided by confederates who could not see ( and therefore , not know ) which container was baited . </P>
examples of theory of mind in child development
examples of theory of mind in child development
discriminate when an experimenter intentionally vs. accidentally marked a box with stickers as baited perform target manipulations that adult experimenters attempted and failed , suggesting the infants could represent the object - manipulating behavior
discriminate when an experimenter intentionally vs. accidentally marked a box with stickers as baited perform target manipulations that adult experimenters attempted and failed , suggesting the infants could represent the object - manipulating behavior