EN
Whether and when children can apply their developing understanding of belief to persuasion was examined using picture stories tasks. Children created or selected arguments to persuade a parent. In 2 studies, 253 children (aged 4–8 years) engaged in persuasion tasks and in first and second order false-belief reasoning tasks. The belief-relevant argument increased with age. The understanding of false beliefs proved to be a predictor of the ability to refer to the cognitive perspective of others in creating and selecting a persuasive argument. The results suggest that improvements in belief reasoning in early and middle childhood may be refl ected in social interactions such as persuasion.
EN
Whether and when children can apply their developing understanding of belief to persuasion was examined using picture stories tasks. Children created or selected arguments to persuade a parent. In 2 studies, 253 children (aged 4–8 years) engaged in persuasion tasks and in first and second order false-belief reasoning tasks. The belief-relevant argument increased with age. The understanding of false beliefs proved to be a predictor of the ability to refer to the cognitive perspective of others in creating and selecting a persuasive argument. The results suggest that improvements in belief reasoning in early and middle childhood may be refl ected in social interactions such as persuasion.