A developmental researcher administers the classic Sally-Anne false-belief task. Sally hides a marble in a basket, leaves the room, and Anne moves it to a box. Children are asked, "Where will Sally look for the marble?" In a sample of 40 typically developing children, most 3-year-olds answer "the box," whereas most 5-year-olds answer "the basket."
The shift between ages 3 and 5 most directly reflects the development of:
- A
Object permanence
- B
Conservation of number
- Ccheck_circle
Theory of mind—the ability to attribute beliefs that differ from reality
- D
Postconventional moral reasoning
Explanation
Passing false-belief tasks marks the emergence of theory of mind: understanding that others can hold beliefs different from one's own knowledge of reality.