Taking a Third-Person Perspective Requires Inhibitory Control: Evidence From a Developmental Negative Priming Study

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Development
• Neuroscience
• Psychology

Background:

• Children's ability to adopt a third-person perspective (3PP) develops with age.
• Inhibiting a first-person perspective (1PP) may play a role in this development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if enhanced 3PP is linked to improved inhibition of 1PP.
• To examine the relationship between perspective-taking abilities and inhibitory control in children and adults.

Main Methods:

• A negative priming adaptation of the own body transformation task was used.
• Participants included 10-year-old children (n=49) and 22-year-old adults (n=52).
• Stroop interference scores were used as a measure of inhibitory control.

Main Results:

• Both age groups showed reduced efficiency in adopting 1PP after adopting 3PP.
• The negative priming effect for 1PP was smaller in older individuals, indicating better inhibition.
• Performance on the body transformation task correlated with Stroop interference scores.

Conclusions:

• The development of third-person perspective-taking is partly explained by improved first-person perspective inhibition.
• Inhibitory control, as measured by Stroop task, is crucial for adopting a third-person viewpoint.