The Child's Theory of Mind (Mit Press Series in Learning, Development, and Conceptual Change)

Do children have a theory of mind? If they do, at what age is it acquired? What is the content of the theory, and how does it differ from that of adults? The Child's Theory of Mind integrates the diverse strands of this rapidly expanding field of study. It charts children's knowledge about a fundamental topic - the mind - and characterizes that developing knowledge as a coherent commonsense theory, strongly advancing the understanding of everyday theories as well as the commonsense theory of mind.

Wellman presents evidence that children as young as age three do possess a commonsense theory of mind - that they grasp the distinction between mental constructs and physical entities and that they have an understanding of the relationship between individuals' mental states and their overt actions. He delves in detail into questions about the nature of adults' commonsense theories of mind and about the nature of commonsense theories.

Wellman then examines the content of the three-year-old's theory of mind, the nature of children's notions of mind before age three, the changes in the theory during subsequent development from ages three to six, and the young child's conception of mind in comparison with those of older children and adults.

Henry M. Wellman is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Center for Human Growth and Development at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

"This book is clearly one of the most comprehensive, original, and important contributions this young field has yet seen. Written by one of the field's foremost investigators, the book presents his view of the nature and course of theory-of-mind development... Wellman's book is an absolute must for devotees of this area of cognitive development, and I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in the nature and development of significant human concepts."
—John H. Flavell, Contemporary Psychology