Abstract
We use mental files theory to provide an integral theory of children’s diverse dual naming problems and why these problems are overcome when children pass the false belief test. When an object is encountered under different appearances or given different verbal labels, two distinct representations (mental files) may be deployed for that single object. The resulting files refer to the same object but capture different perspectives on the object. Such coreferential files can thus be used to represent people’s differing perspectives (e.g., belief). Typically the existence of different files indicates the existence of two separate objects. To mark that only a single object is involved, coreferential files need to be linked. Development of the ability to link files provides a powerful developmental explanation for success on dual labelling and perspective tasks at the same age, around 4 years: processing identity statements, overcoming mutual exclusivity (accepting different labels for an object), visual perspective taking, and understanding differences of belief. Mental files also provide a new framework for understanding conceptual pacts and their relation to mutual exclusivity in children and adults.
Highlights
How we label an entity, a person or object, can have far reaching consequences
We will argue that abilities that require a level 2 understanding emerge together, later than those requiring a level 1 understanding, between 3 and 4 years. For this we focus on the false belief task, as it provides a clear case of different perspectives and for which there is a rich developmental database
The theory explains why older children give the right answer in the standard verbal false belief task, despite all these biases supposedly working against the correct answer: children become able to link coreferential files
Summary
How we label an entity, a person or object, can have far reaching consequences. The realization that entities can be labelled differently undergoes striking developmental changes that are reflected in quite different fields of investigation. The theory explains why older children give the right answer in the standard verbal false belief task, despite all these biases supposedly working against the correct answer: children become able to link coreferential files This allows them to remain aware of Max’s perspective in the vicarious file even when they think about the chocolate using their regular file. Matthews et al (2010) found that even children of mean age 3;5 showed a speaker difference, with faster recovery when a new speaker used an alternative expression compared to the original speaker This suggests that the 3-year-olds were able to link files.
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