Abstract: In this study, the possible relations between young children’s script knowledge and their understanding of pretense and other mental states were probed. Fifty-six 3- to 5-year-old children's script knowledge, receptive vocabulary, understanding of pretense, appearance-reality, false belief, and representational change, were gathered in three sessions. Results revealed significant relations between young children's script knowledge, their understanding of pretense and their understanding of other mental states, even with the effects of age statistically controlled. However, inconsistent with some other studies, the correlation between young children's verbal intelligence and their understanding of mental states in this study was not significant when the age was partialedout. The results were further discussed in relation to the possible influence of experiential knowledge on children's understanding of pretense and the development of theory of mind.

Key words: young children's cognitive development, theory of mind, script knowledge, developmental relationship