Ontogenetic steps of understanding beliefs: From practical to theoretical

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.

KEYWORDS:

• Perspective-taking
• theory of mind
• belief understanding
• social cognition
• cognitive development

Acknowledgments

We thank two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of this article. We also thank the Salzburg group of psychologists and philosophers who invited H.M. to present the ideas articulated here in 2020 and offered valuable insights.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Henrike Moll

Henrike Moll is associate professor of psychology at the University of Southern California. She studies early social-cognitive development from both a psychological and philosophical perspective.

Qianhui Ni

Qianhui Ni is a doctoral candidate of psychology at the University of Southern California. Her research focuses on theory of mind and perspective-taking in the first years of life.

Pirmin Stekeler-Weithofer

Pirmin-Stekeler Weithofer is professor of philosophy at the University of Leipzig. Among his areas of expertise are Hegel’s philosophy and philosophy of language.