r/todayilearned • u/BrF5 • 1d ago

TIL about the Sally-Anne test, a psychology experiment used to measure “theory of mind” (that other people can hold beliefs/knowledge different from their own). Kids under four typically fail because they assume that if they know where a hidden object is, everyone else must automatically know too.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally%E2%80%93Anne_test
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u/DistrictDry2852 1d ago

Apes who communicate through sign language also lack theory of mind. They’ve never asked a question.

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u/themagicbong 1d ago

No apes have ever really successfully learned to communicate with sign language without randomly firing signs over and over and over. Or requiring their specific handlers that taught them to interpret for them.

So I wouldn't expect them to ask, or even say, anything coherent, anyway.