chapter 7: conceptual development

Question 1

naive psychology

Answer 1

a commonsense level of understanding of other people and oneself

Question 2

theory of mind

Answer 2

an organized understanding of how mental processes such as intentions, desires, beliefs, perceptions, and emotions influence behavior

Question 3

false-belief problems

Answer 3

tasks that test a child’s understanding that other people will act in accord with their own beliefs even when the child knows that those beliefs are incorrect

Question 4

theory of mind module (TOMM)

Answer 4

a hypothesized brain mechanism devoted to understanding other human beings

Question 5

pretend play

Answer 5

make-believe activities in which children create new symbolic relations, acting as if they were in a situation different from their actual one

Question 6

object substitution

Answer 6

a form of pretense in which an object is used as something other than itself, for example, using a broom to represent a horse

Question 7

sociodramatic play

Answer 7

activities in which children enact miniature dramas with other children or adults, such as “mother comforting baby”