More Evidence for the Standard Account of Theory of Mind Development: A Reply to Fabricius (2026).

Fabricius argues that the results of a recent study of ours speak for a deflationary competence limitation account of Theory of Mind development. According to this account, children do not operate with proper mental state concepts until age 6-7 or older. However, the original findings are, in fact, incompatible with such competence limitation accounts, but compatible with the standard picture of Theory of Mind development: According to this picture, children acquire proper mental state concepts by age 4, but this competence is sometimes masked by performance factors.