ABSTRACT
If 4-year-old children can be said to hold theories about the minds of others (e.g., Astington, this volume; Perner, this volume), how do they build and test their theories? Is there, as in some theories set forth by adult scientists, an initial data collection phase, followed by the generating of hypotheses and the construction of explanatory models? Furthermore, what developmental processes underlie this theory-building exercise? Can one account for the development of a theory of mind in terms of general maturational and learning processes, or does one need to invoke special explanatory principles? Put the other way round, how do general learning processes, such as reinforcement and observational learning, contribute to the development of social understanding? Do infants and young children explicitly learn that other people have minds?
