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# Preschoolers’ Development of Theory of Mind: The Contribution of Understanding Psychological Causality in Stories

## Details

**Authors** Sanefuji and Haryu

**Year** 2018

**Publisher** Frontiers in Psychology

**Discipline** Human Development

[Read it at the publisher](https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00955) 
10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00955

## In authors' words

### Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between children’s abilities to understand causal sequences and another’s false belief. In Experiment 1, we tested 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-year-old children (n = 28, 28, 27, and 27, respectively) using false belief and picture sequencing tasks involving mechanical, behavioral, and psychological causality. Understanding causal sequences in mechanical, behavioral, and psychological stories was related to understanding other’s false beliefs. In Experiment 2, children who failed the initial false belief task (n = 50) were reassessed five months later. High scorers in the sequencing of the psychological stories in Experiment 1 were more likely to pass the standard false belief task than were the low scorers. Conversely, understanding causal sequences in the mechanical and behavioral stories in Experiment 1 did not predict passing the false belief task in Experiment 2. Thus, children may understand psychological causality before they are able to use it to understand false beliefs.

### What they set out to do (purpose)

To study the Relationship between a preschooler’s development of theory of mind, and their understanding of causality.

### What they found (results)

There was some Relationship between successful picture sequencing and success in the false belief task. The children who performed better on the psychological stories in the first experiment, did better on the second false belief task. Overall, the study showed that, “the findings of the present study indicated that children who cannot understand others' false beliefs are able to understand and enjoy stories containing false beliefs.”

## Commentary

### In short

Conscious establishment of sequential relationships in the first experiment also increased the subject’s ability to take new perspectives and see alternatives to the sequence as it played out.

### In more detail

Sanefuji and Haryu 2018, studied the Relationship between a preschooler’s development of theory of mind, and their understanding of causality. They did two experiments, the first of which was designed to test if the children could arrange pictures in a predetermined sequence. There were different types of stories used that were about mechanical (objects interacting in a casual Relationship with each other), behavioral (people interacting), or psychological (people interacting with regards to mental state) causality. After performing this test, they did a false belief task as well. The results of the experiment indicated that there was some Relationship between successful picture sequencing and success in the false belief task. In the second experiment, the children that failed the false belief task were the subjects. They were given the same false belief task as in the first experiment. The experiment showed that the children who performed better on the psychological stories in the first experiment, did better on the second false belief task. Overall, the study showed that, “the findings of the present study indicated that children who cannot understand others' false beliefs are able to understand and enjoy stories containing false beliefs.” In other words, conscious establishment of sequential relationships in the first experiment also increased the subject’s ability to take new perspectives and see alternatives to the sequence as it played out.

Perspective-taking (P) is the act of looking at things using a point and view. In other words, explicitly working with concepts using one or many points and views, while being aware of the relationships, systems, and distinctions between them. Infants show evidence of Perspective-taking as early as three years of age, while experiments with adults show the varied and sophisticated ways Perspective-taking is used across the lifespan. A review of peer-reviewed journals across disciplines indicates:

1. The existence of Perspectives (i.e., P as a noun/object); 2. The act of Perspective taking (i.e., P as a verb/action); 3. That the relationship between “point” and “view” (i.e., P(ρ ↔ v) is elemental to (1) and (2) above; and,

4. That the human tendency is to take one’s own Perspective and marginalize the Perspective of the other. 5. In summary, it shows that items 1-4 are fundamental “patterns of mind” agnostic to content area (across disciplines) and throughout the lifespan of humans. Where Perspective taking is concerned, the difference between thinking (ie., cognition) and systems thinking (i.e., systematic metacognition) is not in the P(ρ ↔ v) structure of cognition itself, but in the willful and purposeful attempt to see (i.e., be aware of) the P(ρ ↔ v) structure that is at work when thinking.

**Patterns it shows** R

**How to cite this** Sanefuji and Haryu (2018). Preschoolers’ Development of Theory of Mind: The Contribution of Understanding Psychological Causality in Stories. Frontiers in Psychology.