From false belief to friendship: commentary on Fink, Begeer, Peterson, Slaughter, and de Rosnay.
Fink, Begeer, Peterson, Slaughter, and de Rosnay (Brit. J. Dev. Psychol, 2015; 33, 1-17) represent a welcome contribution in providing empirical evidence of the link from false belief understanding at Time 1 to mutual friendship 2 years later, controlling for several other possible contributors. This opens a new and important line of inquiry into the practical significance of a Theory of Mind. As is typical of pioneering research, further study is needed to address some issues; here, we point out some of these issues and then briefly discuss the broader implications of Fink et al.'s findings.
Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA.
Matthew D
MD
Lerner
Angeline S
AS
Lillard
D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D012934:Social Isolation / Q000523:psychology*; D056345:Theory of Mind / Q000502:physiology*
Theory of Mind; false belief; friendships; longitudinal design; social development