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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 6, 2026

The Modified Temptation Resistance Task: A Paradigm to Elicit Children's Strategic Lie-telling

The Modified Temptation Resistance Task: A Paradigm to Elicit Children's Strategic Lie-telling

Published on: April 6, 2018

True or false: do 5-year-olds understand belief?

William V Fabricius¹, Ty W Boyer, Amy A Weimer

¹Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1104, USA. william.fabricius@asu.edu

Developmental Psychology

|November 10, 2010

Summary

Children first use perceptual access reasoning for mental states, not belief reasoning. This study reveals a U-shaped developmental pattern, showing that young children

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Last Updated: Jun 6, 2026

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Published on: April 28, 2016

Area of Science:

Developmental Psychology
Cognitive Science
Theory of Mind

Background:

Children's understanding of mental states, particularly beliefs, is a cornerstone of cognitive development.
Previous research often assumes children grasp false beliefs earlier than indicated.
The role of perceptual access in early reasoning remains debated.

Purpose of the Study:

To test the perceptual access hypothesis regarding children's reasoning about mental states.
To investigate if children use perceptual access before developing belief-based reasoning.
To examine developmental trajectories in true belief tasks.

Main Methods:

Three studies (N=188) employed true belief tasks to assess reasoning strategies.
Children's performance was analyzed for patterns indicative of reality, perceptual access, or belief reasoning.
Alternate explanations (pragmatic, inhibitory demands) and classification methods were evaluated.

Main Results:

A U-shaped developmental pattern was observed, supporting the perceptual access hypothesis.
3-year-olds succeeded (reality reasoning), 4-5-year-olds failed (perceptual access), and older children succeeded (belief reasoning).
Most children consistently used one reasoning strategy, with belief reasoning emerging after age 6.

Conclusions:

Children utilize perceptual access reasoning for mental states prior to understanding beliefs.
Prior studies may have overestimated young children's false belief understanding.
The perceptual access hypothesis offers significant theoretical implications for developmental psychology.