ABSTRACT

In this article, we postulate that belief understanding unfolds in two steps over ontogenetic time. We propose that belief understanding begins in interactive scenarios in which infants and toddlers respond directly and second-personally to the actions of a misinformed agent. This early understanding of beliefs is practical and grounded in the capacity for perspective-taking. Practical belief understanding guarantees effective interaction and communication with others who are acting on false assumptions. In a second step, children, at preschool age, acquire the capacity to reflect on and arrive at third-personal judgments about a misinformed agent’s perspective. This capacity is theoretical and grounded in the ability to “confront” perspectives. It allows children to understand that beliefs can misrepresent the state of the world and to predict what (past, future, or hypothetical) actions follow from these beliefs. We conclude with ideas on how practical perspective-taking develops into theoretical perspective-confronting in early ontogeny.

摘要

在本文中，我们假设信念理解在个体发生时间上分两步展开。我们建议信念理解始于互动场景，其中婴儿和幼儿直接和第二人称地对被误导的代理人的行为做出反应。这种对信仰的早期理解是实用的并以采取观点的能力为基础。实践信念理解保证了与基于错误假设行事的其他人的有效互动和沟通。第二步，学龄前儿童获得了反思并得出关于被误导代理人观点的第三人称判断的能力。这种能力是理论上的，并以“面对”观点的能力为基础。它让孩子们了解信念可能会歪曲世界的状态，并预测这些信念会产生什么（过去、未来或假设的）行为。我们总结了关于在早期个体发育中实际的观点采择如何发展成理论的观点对抗的想法。