Enabling conditions and children’s understanding of pretense

摘要: Two experiments examined whether preschoolers’ difficulties on tasks that required relating pretending and knowledge (e.g., Lillard, A. S. (1993a). Young children’s conceptualization of pretense: Action or mental representational state? Child Development, 64, 372–386) were due to inability appreciate the causal mechanism behind enabling conditions. In Experiment 1, 4-year-olds told about a character who knew one kind animal did not know another. The acted in manner consistent with both animals. Children asked was be which he ignorant. character’s either represented generic (as picture) suggested particular condition relation children found accessible battery, most recognize is critical for making toys work). more successful at battery condition. This improvement performance extended another task had identify between identification, there reduced demands inhibitory mechanisms necessary success. 2 results 1 procedure used 1. These are discussed context recent theories theory mind focus importance relations among states.