<\/p>\n
Gradually, they gain insight into why people do what they do, which aids social life but can also lead to annoying behavior and create difficulties. Delays can affect cognitive development and social relationships and can leave children isolated.<\/p>\n
The \u201cTerrible Twos\u201d, young children telling lies, teenagers\u2019 heavy sarcasm \u2013 the list of different kinds of youthful behavior with which adults struggle is long. Other characteristics are more charming but sometimes mysterious \u2013 the way toddlers reveal themselves easily when playing hide and seek; the way young children thrill when shouting \u201cHe\u2019s behind you\u201d; their fascination with magic tricks.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s going on in children\u2019s minds? And how do these thoughts, beliefs and pieces of knowledge develop over time? Many of these events\u2014the annoying, the charming, the dubious\u2014reflect important steps in cognitive development.\u00a0 All reflect children\u2019s emerging understandings of people\u2019s minds. When children begin to lie, for example, it means they now understand others can have different beliefs \u2014and minds\u2014than they do.<\/p>\n
Consider this event involving a friend\u2019s four-year-old son. He recently told his mom he was dressed for school and so was going outside to play. Then, through the window, she saw him playing in his pyjamas. This four-year-old understands: \u201cI know I\u2019m in my pyjamas, but she can think I\u2019m dressed.\u201d So mom\u2019s beliefs can be manipulated; she can be deceived.<\/p>\n
Children\u2019s growing awareness of other people\u2019s thinking is called a \u201ctheory of mind\u201d. Developing a personal theory of mind requires extended learning by a child and partial accomplishments, punctuated by important advances.<\/p>\n
How do children come to understand what is happening in people\u2019s minds? Answers to this question can do more than soothe parental anxieties and resolve their curiosities. They also shed light on how such developments may affect, for example, children\u2019s transition to school<\/a> and their susceptibility to bullying<\/a>. Theory of mind is a factor in their satisfying or unsatisfying friendships, their ability to accept feedback from teachers, and their ability to stand up for their own opinions, including arguing with, persuading, and negotiating with others.<\/p>\n Here are three steps in the process of developing theory of mind that decidedly impact children\u2019s lives (and the lives of others around them).<\/p>\n