A Developmental Study on Children's Capacity to Ascribe Goals and Intentions to Others

Autor/inn/en	Bello, Arianna; Sparaci, Laura; Stefanini, Silvia; Boria, Sonia; Volterra, Virginia; Rizzolatti, Giacomo
Titel	A Developmental Study on Children's Capacity to Ascribe Goals and Intentions to Others
Quelle	In: Developmental Psychology, 50 (2014) 2, S.504-513 (10 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0012-1649
DOI	10.1037/a0033375
Schlagwörter	Children; Child Development; Cognitive Development; Objectives; Intention; Age Differences; Foreign Countries; Statistical Analysis; Italy + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Child; Kind; Kinder; Kindesentwicklung; Kognitive Entwicklung; Goal definition; Zielsetzung; Age; Difference; Age difference; Altersunterschied; Ausland; Statistische Analyse; Italien
Abstract	The capacity to ascribe goals and intentions to others is a fundamental step in child cognitive development. The aim of the present study was to assess the age at which these capabilities are acquired in typically developing children. Two experiments were carried out. In the first experiment, 4 groups of children (age range = 3 years 2 months-7 years 11 months) were shown pictures representing hand-object interactions and asked "what" the individual was doing ("what task") and "why" ("why task"). In the "why task," observed handgrip could be either congruent with the most typical action performed with that object (e.g., to drink in the case of a mug) or corresponding to the act of putting away the object. In the second experiment, children saw pictures showing a handgrip either within a context suggesting the most typical use of the object or its being put away. Results showed that by 3-4 years, children are able to state the goal relatedness of an observed motor act ("what" understanding), whereas the ability to report the intention underlying it ("why" understanding) is a later and gradual acquisition, reaching a high performance by 6-7 years. These results, besides their intrinsic value, provide an important baseline for comparisons with studies on developmental disorders, also highlighting the relevance of distinguishing "what" and "why" understanding. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01