Young children's understanding of perception, desire, and emotion

Very young children seem to know that people experience several mental stat es: desires, perceptions, emotions. In three studies, we investigated 2- an d young 3-year-olds' judgments and communications about how these states co nnect together in people's lives and minds. Two experimental studies with 5 6 participants demonstrated young children's understanding of at least one set od connections: In appropriate circumstances, a person's perception of desirable or undesirable objects leads to related emotional experiences. A complementary investigation of four young children's everyday conversations demonstrated their awareness of and expression of several additional conne ctions between people's desires, perceptions, and emotions.