Abstract
This study examined understanding of knowing among 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds. The Japanese term, "shiru" (to know), in this study was investigated in relation to 3 aspects of a "theory of knowledge" (Perner, 1991) : (1) truth, i.e., correct representation of facts, (2) access to relevant information, and (3) successful action. Children were given stories with 2 characters, in which one character had knowledge of an object according to conditions of the 3 preceding aspects of knowledge. Children chose which character knew the objects, and the findings were as follows. (1) Understanding of knowing developed with age. (2) Although children could draw upon the 3 informational aspects to make choices, children from age 4 reported use of the "access to relevant information "aspect more than the other aspects. (3) The relation between the understanding of knowing and the development of theory of mind was suggested by the data. (4) The amount of vocabularies of children understood was related to their understanding of knowing. The results suggested that it is important to examine understanding of various mental processes such as knowing.
