UNDERSTANDING THE INTENTIONS OF OTHERS - REENACTMENT OF INTENDED ACTSBY 18-MONTH-OLD CHILDREN

Investigated was whether children would re-enact what an adult actuall y did or what the adult intended to do. In Experiment 1 children were shown an adult who tried, but failed, to perform certain target acts. Completed target acts were thus not observed. Children in comparison g roups either saw the full target act or appropriate controls. Results showed that children could infer the adult's intended act by watching the failed attempts. Experiment 2 tested children's understanding of a n inanimate object that traced the same movements as the person had fo llowed. Children showed a completely different reaction to the mechani cal device than to the person: They did not produce the target acts in this case. Eighteen-month-olds situate people within a psychological framework that differentiates between the surface behavior of people a nd a deeper level involving goals and intentions. They have already ad opted a fundamental aspect of folk psychology-persons (but not inanima te objects) are understood within a framework involving goals and inte ntions.