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Together I Can! Joint Attention Boosts 3- to 4-Year-Olds' Performance in a Verbal False-Belief Test

Psouni, Elia LU orcid ; Falck, Andreas LU ; Boström, Leni ; Persson, Martin ; Sidén, Lisa and Wallin, Maria LU (2019) In Child Development 90(1). p.35-50
Abstract

Effects of joint attention were addressed on 3- to 4-year-olds' performance in a verbal false-Belief Test (FBT), featuring the experimenter as co-watcher rather than narrator. In two experiments, children (N = 183) watched a filmed-FBT jointly with a test leader, disjointed from a test leader, or alone. Children attending jointly with a test leader were more likely to pass the FBT compared with normative data and to spontaneously recall information indicating false-belief understanding, suggesting that joint attention strengthens the plausibility of the FBT and renders plot-critical information more salient. In a third experiment (N = 59), results were replicated using a typical, image-based FBT. Overall findings highlight the profound... (More)

Effects of joint attention were addressed on 3- to 4-year-olds' performance in a verbal false-Belief Test (FBT), featuring the experimenter as co-watcher rather than narrator. In two experiments, children (N = 183) watched a filmed-FBT jointly with a test leader, disjointed from a test leader, or alone. Children attending jointly with a test leader were more likely to pass the FBT compared with normative data and to spontaneously recall information indicating false-belief understanding, suggesting that joint attention strengthens the plausibility of the FBT and renders plot-critical information more salient. In a third experiment (N = 59), results were replicated using a typical, image-based FBT. Overall findings highlight the profound impact of experimenter as social context in verbal FBTs, and link recall of specific story features to false-belief understanding.

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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Child Development
volume
90
issue
1
pages
35 - 50
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • pmid:29676448
  • scopus:85045855880
ISSN
0009-3920
DOI
10.1111/cdev.13075
project
Socio-cognitive development in early childhood
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
5af5d986-5526-4d47-ae68-5a91245174e1
date added to LUP
2018-05-02 16:24:09
date last changed
2025-10-14 13:19:13
@article{5af5d986-5526-4d47-ae68-5a91245174e1,
  abstract     = {{<p>Effects of joint attention were addressed on 3- to 4-year-olds' performance in a verbal false-Belief Test (FBT), featuring the experimenter as co-watcher rather than narrator. In two experiments, children (N = 183) watched a filmed-FBT jointly with a test leader, disjointed from a test leader, or alone. Children attending jointly with a test leader were more likely to pass the FBT compared with normative data and to spontaneously recall information indicating false-belief understanding, suggesting that joint attention strengthens the plausibility of the FBT and renders plot-critical information more salient. In a third experiment (N = 59), results were replicated using a typical, image-based FBT. Overall findings highlight the profound impact of experimenter as social context in verbal FBTs, and link recall of specific story features to false-belief understanding.</p>}},
  author       = {{Psouni, Elia and Falck, Andreas and Boström, Leni and Persson, Martin and Sidén, Lisa and Wallin, Maria}},
  issn         = {{0009-3920}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{35--50}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Child Development}},
  title        = {{Together I Can! Joint Attention Boosts 3- to 4-Year-Olds' Performance in a Verbal False-Belief Test}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13075}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/cdev.13075}},
  volume       = {{90}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}