Do 15-Month-Old Infants Understand False Beliefs?

Bibliographic Data

ID23326971
AuthorsKristine H Onishi (McGill University), Renée Baillargeon (0000-0002-1177-9940, McGill University)
Year2005
Volume308
Issue5719
Pages255-258
Publication date2005-04-08
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueScience (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0036-8075 • E-ISSN: 0193-4511
PublisherAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1126/science.1107621
PMID15821091
PMCIDPMC3357322
OpenAlexW1974955132
LanguageEN
Citations received361
References cited23

For more than two decades, researchers have argued that young children do not understand mental states such as beliefs. Part of the evidence for this claim comes from preschoolers' failure at verbal tasks that require the understanding that others may hold false beliefs. Here, we used a novel nonverbal task to examine 15-month-old infants' ability to predict an actor's behavior on the basis of her true or false belief about a toy's hiding place. Results were positive, supporting the view that, from a young age, children appeal to mental states—goals, perceptions, and beliefs—to explain the behavior of others.

Appeal · Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · False belief · Nonverbal communication · Perception · Task (project management) · Theory of mind · Child and Animal Learning Development · Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social Psychology

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