Abstract
The present study explored the link between narrative and theory of mind by comparing 26 preschool-age children's understanding of false beliefs in standard theory-of-mind tasks and in the context of a folktale narrative. The central finding, that older children made more correct predictions of false beliefs in both contexts, was taken as support for the contention that the general change in understanding representation that underlies children's success on theory-of-mind tasks also permits comprehension of narrative. However, analysis of the justifications children gave for incorrect predictions also suggested that the narrative context may assist children's understanding of representation. Further research is recommended.
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