Development of human and non-human agent concepts based on the theory of mind:a study of false belief attribution to human .god,angel and magician
Subject Areas : روان درمانگری
Roshanak
Nickpour
1
(MA in Educational Psychology)
Bahram
Joukar
2
(PhD
Shiraz University)
Keywords: Preschool Children, Theory of Mind, human agent concept, non-human agent concept, attribution of mental states,
Abstract :
This study aimed to investigate the development of human and non-human agent concepts based on the theory of mind in children. The sample consisted of 150 children (79 females, 71 males) between the ages of 3 and 7 who were selected from Shiraz child-care centres and kindergartens. Two Tasks of False Beliefs (Doll House Task; Surprising Content Task) were administered individually to each child. The prediction of agents' behaviors was examined based on false beliefs. Results indicated that children predicted the behavior of magician (a non-human agent) similar to human agent. However, the results of other non-human agentsangel and God) were not consistent with those of Magician. In other words, according to children's views, these agents behave with the least false beliefs. In general, the results indicated that as the age increased, children predicted agent and non-agent behaviors in different ways. It is suggested that culture and family messages have considerable roles in predicting and distinguishing agents' behaviors.