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  • Title: Young children's difficulty acknowledging false belief: realism and deception.
    Author: Saltmarsh R, Mitchell P.
    Journal: J Exp Child Psychol; 1998 Apr; 69(1):3-21. PubMed ID: 9584068.
    Abstract:
    This study was designed to help clarify some of the circumstances under which young children find it easier to acknowledge a false belief held by another person. In Experiment 1, preschoolers (mean age, 3 years; 11 months) watched a movie in which Ness had previously opened a familiar box in Jon's absence to reveal the stereotypical content, which she proceeded to replace with an atypical item. In a second movie, the box was seen to house an atypical content all along. Half the children watched Ness play the script in a neutral manner, while the rest watched her play it in a deceptive manner. There was a highly significant improvement in acknowledging Jon's false belief when children saw the stereotypical content of the box preliminary to its exchange for something atypical. In contrast, children gained no benefit from the way Ness played the script. The effect was replicated in a second experiment in which children were involved directly in the task. We conclude that presenting a physical instantiation of a false belief helps children to a small but reliable extent to correctly report that belief.
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