A developmental study on children's capacity to ascribe goals and intentions to others

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. © 2013 American Psychological Association.

Publication type: 
Articolo
Author or Creator: 
Bello, Arianna R.
Sparaci, Laura
Stefanini, Silvia
Boria, Sonia
Volterra, Virginia
Rizzolatti, Giacomo
Publisher: 
American Psychological Association., [Arlington, VA, etc.,], Stati Uniti d'America
Source: 
Developmental psychology 50 (2014): 504–513. doi:10.1037/a0033375
info:cnr-pdr/source/autori:Bello, Arianna R.; Sparaci, Laura; Stefanini, Silvia; Boria, Sonia; Volterra, Virginia; Rizzolatti, Giacomo/titolo:A developmental study on children's capacity to ascribe goals and intentions to others/doi:10.1037/a0033375/rivis
Date: 
2014
Resource Identifier: 
http://www.cnr.it/prodotto/i/317340
https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0033375
info:doi:10.1037/a0033375
http://www.scopus.com/record/display.url?eid=2-s2.0-84893687695&origin=inward
Language: 
Eng
ISTC Author: 
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