theorytheory

Theory theory is a position in cognitive science and philosophy of mind about how people understand others’ mental states. It argues that individuals attribute beliefs, desires, intentions, and other mental states to others by constructing and updating an implicit theory of mind, much like scientists construct theories to explain and predict phenomena. The view holds that knowledge about others is not directly observable but is inferred from evidence, behavior, and the coherence of explanations with observed actions.

In development, theory theory has been influential in explaining how children acquire a theory of mind. Through false-belief tasks and other assessments, children are thought to form and revise mental-state concepts to predict others’ behavior, typically reaching mature performance around age four in many cultures. Proponents such as Alison Gopnik and Henry Wellman have been central in articulating the view, though the idea connects to broader work in folk psychology across philosophy and psychology. Theory theory is often contrasted with simulation theory, which argues that people understand others by simulating their thoughts and feelings in themselves rather than by applying an explicit theory.

Critics argue that the theory-theory account may overemphasize explicit, theory-like knowledge and underplay the role of domain-general cognitive processes such as attention and executive function. Some researchers propose hybrid approaches in which theory-like knowledge and more automatic, pattern-based reasoning jointly contribute to social understanding. Cross-cultural findings and variations in task design also raise questions about the universality of a single theory-of-mind account. Related topics include theory of mind, folk psychology, and the false-belief task.