ABSTRACT
Premack and Woodruff (1978) had coined the term “theory of mind” when they asked “Does the chimpanzee have a theory of mind?” The answer seems to be “no”. The ability to represent others’ mental states may be a purely human ability. Or at least, this is the conclusion if you accept the false belief task as the definitive test of theory of mind. At present there is a lively debate about whether chimpanzees have capacities that are simpler, but still deserve to be included in a wider definition of theory of mind. These are largely to do with following others’ gaze direction.
