DEVELOPING ORGANIZATION OF MENTAL VERBS AND THEORY OF MIND IN MIDDLE CHILDHOOD - EVIDENCE FROM EXTENSIONS

The purpose of the study was to assess developments in the theory of m ind suggested by changes in the organization of cognitive verb extensi ons during the elementary school years. Adults and 3rd- and 5th-grade children were provided with a set of mental activity scenarios and wer e asked to select the best verbs from a list of cognitive verbs that m ight apply to each scenario. Changes in organization were assessed by examining overlapping uses of cognitive verbs in different contexts. T here were 3 major changes with development: (a) the understanding of t he role of memory in input functions increased, (b) the interrelatedne ss of memory-and comprehension-related verbs increased, and (c) the im portance of cognitive certainty and uncertainty engaged by constructiv e processing verbs increased. Together, these findings suggest that a constructivist theory of mind develops in later childhood.