Abstract
The present study examined the development of the ability of 3- to 6-year-old children (N=105) to give information appropriately to others. In a game, each participant was allowed to see where the target was hidden in one of the two cups, while the child's partner (a collaborator or competitor) was not. In the collaborative situation, the collaborator asked the child if he/she knew the location of the target object. If a child gave information to the collaborator, the child was given the target. In the competitive situation, the competitor asked children the question in the same way as in the collaborative situation. But if children gave information to the competitor, the target was taken by the competitor. The results showed that most 3 yearolds pointed to the location of the target immediately in both situations. However, 5-6 year-olds gave information appropriately to the collaborator and not to the competitor partner. There was a significant correlation between performance in the hiding game, and that in the inhibitory task which required a novel response in the face of a conflicting prepotent response. These findings suggested that inhibitory control may be an important contributor to children's understanding of the other's mental state.
