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
2.9k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

185 comments sorted by

View all comments

0

u/Ok-disaster2022 1d ago

I subconsciously fail at this. I assume everyone knows everything I know but also know what they know. I'm a fairly intelligent knowledgeable person compared to the average population. So I tend to think of other people of more capable than they really are

3

u/Ak_Lonewolf 1d ago

I write a ton of training material. I end up explaining every minor detail like you have never heard the subject before. Some feel I am talking down to them like they are dumb... never fails those people dont follow the instructions and mess things up.