Naive Psychology: Preschoolers' Understanding of Intention and False Belief and Its Relationship to Mental Word Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Jian, Jianhua Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 29/09/2021 04:28:04 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/193561 NAIVE PSYCHOLOGY: PRESCHOOLER S’ UNDERSTANDING OF INTENTION AND FALSE BELIEF AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO MENTAL WORD by Jianhua Jian _____________________ Copyright © Jianhua Jian 2006 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AL PSYCHOLOGY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2 0 0 6 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Dissertation Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Jianhua Jian entitled Naïve psychology: Preschoolers’ understanding of intention and false belief and its relationship to mental word and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation require ment for the Deg ree of Doctor of Philosophy _______ ___________________________ __________________ ________ _______ ____ Date : 3/23/2006 Rosemary Rosser, Ph.D. _______ ___________________________ __________________ ________ ___________ Date: 3/23/2006 Lawre nce Aleamoni, Ph.D. _______ ___________________________ __________________ ________ ___________ Date: 3/23/2006 Sheri Bauman, Ph.D. _______ ___________________________ __________________ ________ ___________ Date: 3/23/2006 Glenda Wilkes, Ph.D. Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate’s submission of the final copies of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recomm end that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. ________________________________________________ Date : 3/23/2006 Dissertation Director: Rosemary Rosser, Ph.D. 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under the rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. Jianhua Jian 4 ACKN OWLEDGEMENTS The author wishes to thank Dr. Rosemary Rosser for her help, advice , and her expertise in the area of cognitive development. Working with Dr. Rosser has been a fulfilling experience. The author is also grateful to Dr. Glenda Wilkes and Dr. La wrence Aleamoni for their advice and support. Their assistance has been extremely valuable in helping in the development of the instrument and the review of the methodology for this study . The author would also like to thank Dr. Sheri Bauman for her advice on the revision of the dissertation . Finally, the author would like to thank the children and the parents who participated in the study , and especially the four preschool principals, Mrs. Brown, Ms. Dickson, Ms. Barbara, and Ms. Campbell for their co -oper ation and their support of the study . 5 DEDICATION To my dear husband, who encourages me to be the one I want to be, instead of the one I should be, To my two dear daughters, who lead me into the amazing world of little children, To my dear parents , who always give and never ask for return, To my parents -in -law, who love me as their daughter, To my dear sister, who shares the happiness and the sadness of my journey, To my Heavenly Father, who makes the impossible possible. 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ...............................................................................................................8 ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................10 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................11 CHAPTER 2. FOLK PSYCHOLOGY/ NAÏVE THEORY ..............................................16 General Introduction ..............................................................................................16 Dominant Theories in the Field .............................................................................18 Theory Theory ...............................................................................20 Modularity Theor y ....................................................................................27 Difference between Theory Theory and Modularity in Rela tion to Development ........................................................29 Difference in Relation to Other Systems .......................................30 Simulation Theory (Empirical Generalizations) ........................................31 Compared to Theory and Module Approach .................................32 Causal claims .....................................................................32 Ontological commitments ..................................................33 Prediction and explanations ...............................................33 Patterns of developmenta l change .....................................34 Summary of the Three Positions on Naïve Psychology .............................34 Empirical Research and Theoretica l Models on Naive Psychology ......................36 Ontological Knowledge .............................................................................36 Childhood Realism .........................................................................36 Children’s Ontological Knowledge on Mental Entities .................38 False Belief and Belief -Desire Reasoning .................................................44 False Belief ....................................................................................44 Belief -Desire Reasoning ................................................................47 Wellman’s Model for Children’s Belief -Desire Psychology .........47 Pretend Play ...............................................................................................51 Intention .....................................................................................................60 Theory of Mind and Language ..................................................................70 Critics of Theory of Mind Tasks............................................................................75 False Belief Task ........................................................................................75 The Interview Tech nique ...........................................................................77 Genius Understanding of Mind..................................................................78 The Main Goal of the Current Study .....................................................................79 CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY ..............................................................................81 Subjects ..................................................................................................................81 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS - Continued Instrument ..............................................................................................................82 Screening Questionnaire ............................................................................82 Compute r....................................................................................................82 Animated Movies .......................................................................................82 Mental Word Assessment ..........................................................................84 Procedure ...............................................................................................................84 The False Belief and Intention Understanding ..........................................85 Mental Word Assessment ..........................................................................85 Scoring ...................................................................................................................88 CHAPTER 4. DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULT S .......................................................95 Descriptive ............................................................................................................95 Chi-square Test ....................................................................................................103 ANOVA ...............................................................................................................105 Regression............................................................................................................113 Response Pattern for Theory of Mind Questions.................................................114 CHAPTER 5. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION .....................................................117 APPENDIX A SCREENING QUESTIONS FOR PARENTS ........................................133 APPENDIX B MENTAL WORD ASSESSMENT .........................................................134 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................136