Taking Another's Perspective: Role-Taking Development in Early Childhood

TLDR

The study examines role‑taking development in early childhood. The authors administered a role‑taking task to 60 middle‑class children aged 4–6 to assess their ability to predict and explain a peer’s responses when the child had unique information. Results revealed a four‑level progression in role‑taking skill, with higher levels strongly correlated with chronological age and a related measure, supporting an age‑related ontogenetic sequence. Published in Child Development, 1971, vol.

Abstract

SELMA, ROBERT L. Taking Another's Perspective: Role-taking Development in Early Childhood. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1971, 42, 1721-1734. 60 middle-class subjects (10 boys and 10 girls each of ages 4, 5, and 6) were administered a role-taking task specifically designed to enable the S (role taker) to make and explain predictions about a peer's responses in a situation in which S has information not available to the peer. Results suggested a 4-level progression in role-taking skill across the age range examined. The significant correlation between the role-taking levels and both chronological age and another age-related role-taking measure supported the hypothesis that conceptual role taking is an age-related social-cognitive skill and implied the possible existence of an ontogenetic sequence of roletaking stages.