Theory-Theory
Updated 2026-08-08
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
Theory-theory, developed by Alison Gopnik, Andrew Meltzoff, and others, holds that children construct naive theories about the world, such as a simple physics of falling objects or a psychology of desires and beliefs, and then test those theories through play and experiment. Cognitive development is therefore a sequence of theory revisions rather than an accumulation of facts. The view contrasts with modular accounts that posit innate domain-specific mechanisms, and with simulation theory, which explains mindreading by running one's own mental processes offline. Key qualification: these theories are implicit and loosely specified rather than formally stated.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Treat beliefs as theories: ask which predictions an assumption generates and what would falsify it. - Expect revolutions: recognize that one counterexample can force a whole framework to be rebuilt. - Compare stages: examine how a learner's theory structure changes across development or training.
Anchor fast decisions
A naive theory organizes many observations under a few causal principles, which lets a learner predict novel cases rather than memorize each one. When a prediction fails, the anomaly cannot be absorbed as an isolated fact, because it contradicts the organizing principle itself. The learner must restructure the theory, which is why development looks like occasional revolutions separated by long stable periods.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- baike.baidu.comhttps://baike.baidu.com/item/%E7%90%86%E8%AE%BA%E8%AE%BAverified
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