Succeeding in the false belief test. Why does experience matter?

I challenge the view—commonly shared among developmentalists—that four-year-olds’ success in the false belief test mostly depends on the maturation of either computational resource or cognitive processes specific for mental state attribution. In contrast, available evidence suggests that success on the task is importantly shaped through conversation and social interaction. Adult mindreading is not naturally inscribed in our biological endowment, and social experience has a much more important role than what commonly assumed in its development.