Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 17, 2026

The Modified Temptation Resistance Task: A Paradigm to Elicit Children's Strategic Lie-telling
Published on: April 6, 2018
The curious relation between theory of mind and sharing in preschool age children
Jason M Cowell1, Anya Samek2, John List3
1Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America.
Abstract:
Young children have long been known to act selfishly and gradually appear to become more generous across middle childhood. While this apparent change has been well documented, the underlying mechanisms supporting this remain unclear. The current study examined the role of early theory of mind and executive functioning in facilitating sharing in a large sample (N = 98) of preschoolers. Results reveal a curious relation between early false-belief understanding and sharing behavior. Contrary to many commonsense notions and predominant theories, competence in this ability is actually related to less sharing. Thus, the relation between developing theory of mind and sharing may not be as straightforward as it seems in preschool age children. It is precisely the children who can engage in theory of mind that decide to share less with others.
More Related Videos
06:35Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm
Published on: April 28, 2016
11:14A Novel Experimental and Analytical Approach to the Multimodal Neural Decoding of Intent During Social Interaction in Freely-behaving Human Infants
Published on: October 4, 2015
Related Concept Videos
Social Foundations of Self II: The Generalized Other
Social Foundations of Self I: Play and Game
Piaget's Stage 2 of Cognitive Development
Cognitive Development During Adolescence
Empathy
Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development
Exploration...