Abstract: The ability to attribute 2nd-order false-beliefs and its developmental stage were investigated via the “new stories” paradigm in a sample of 133 children from two kindergartens. The results indicated that children around 4 years old could attribute second-order ignorance, but there was a developmental gap of 1- to-2 years between the attribution of second-order ignorance and second-order false-belief. The critical period for the development of children’s attribution of the second-order false-belief was around age six. A majority of 6 year-old children were able to justify their correct false-belief response based on genuine second-order reasoning, while their wrong answers to false-belief questions were mostly based on the first-order reasoning. The development of attribution to the second-order false-belief wasn’t an all-or-none process, but one of gradual process.

Key words: theory of mind, second-order ignorance, second-order false-belief