Very young preschoolers' understanding of the mind : a gradual approach?

Despite continuing interest in the development of children's understanding of the mind, many studies have continued to rely upon one test to measure such a complex understanding; the standard false belief test. This thesis presents two experiments understanding; the standard false belief test. This thesis presents two experiments which move away from this standard test, attempting to unravel early forms of understanding by examining: 1. Whether there are developments in evidence before the 3-4 year 'shift' in standard false belief development; 2. If the child's access to mental state knowledge undergoes a more gradual progression than dominant theorists within the field argue; and 3. What precursor skills (mental state and/or executive function) feed into social understanding.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo