Attribution of dispositional states by 12-month-olds

The ability to interpret the behavior of other individuals is essential for effective social functioning. Many investigators now be-lieve that even young infants can recognize that agents act toward goals. Here we report three experiments suggesting that 12-month-old infants not only can recognize goal-related action, but also can inter-pret future actions of an actor on the basis of previously witnessed be-havior in another context. The possibility that this inference is made through the attribution of mental states is discussed. The ability to interpret the behavior of other individuals is essential for social functioning. Without the ability to infer emotions, desires, and beliefs—for instance, that John is angry, Mary wants to leave, or Betty thinks that it is cold outside—it would be impossible to predict or understand the behavior of other people. Although the ability to rea-son about certain mental states such as beliefs and false beliefs might emerge between the ages of 3 and 5 year