title: Effects of labeling on preschoolers' explicit false belief performance: outcomes of cognitive flexibility or inhibitory control?
abstract: Executive function mechanisms underpinning language-related effects on theory of mind understanding were examined in a sample of 165 preschoolers. Verbal labels were manipulated to identify relevant perspectives on an explicit false belief task. In Experiment 1 with 4-year-olds (N = 74), false belief reasoning was superior in the fully and protagonist-perspective labeled conditions compared to the child-perspective and nondescript labeling conditions. In Experiment 2 with 3-year-olds (N = 53), labeling the nondominant belief only biased attentional inertia. In Experiment 3 testing generalization in 4-year-olds (N = 38), labeling manipulations translated to improved performance on a second label-free explicit false belief task. These outcomes fit a cognitive flexibility account whereby age changes in the effects of labeling turn on formulating sophisticated conceptual representations.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand. jason.low@vuw.ac.nz
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Low
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Simpson
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002675:Child, Preschool; D032882:Comprehension / Q000502:physiology*; D003210:Concept Formation / Q000502:physiology*; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology