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This study aims to investigate the factors that contribute to false belief understanding in young children. Four standard false belief tasks were given to sixty-eight children between ages 3-5 years. They were also tested for their general language ability and verbal and nonverbal memory. Lastly, data was collected on their family size and birth order. Statistical tests were carried out to determine the relationship between false belief understanding, age and cognitive abilities, and between false belief understanding, age, language ability, birth order and family size.

The results were then analyzed to determine the factors that affect the development of false belief understanding in children. Overall, the results suggest that false belief understanding develops as age increases. Also, it has a strong relation with general language ability. These relationships can be explained in several ways. One possible explanation is that the children need to have linguistic ability to understand and respond to the tasks given to them. Complexity of the language in which the task is presented may make the child unable to respond to it, however simple the task is for him.

The level of understanding of a child can also affect his ability to perform equally difficult tasks. He may fully understand and interpret one aspect of the task, but may prove incompetent to carry out another equally difficult task. The findings suggest that there is no role of children’s memory in solving false belief tasks. However, family size is positively related to false belief understanding. The presence of one or more siblings increases interactions like tricking and teasing etc. that fosters false belief understanding.

Children may observe their siblings and develop an understanding of false belief even when their linguistic ability is poor suggesting that competence is not entirely dependent on language. Hence, family size and linguistic ability both play a role in false belief understanding.