Dans cette presentation des travaux concernant plusieurs aspects du fonctionnement psychologique (langage, perception, explication des actions, apparence/realite, etc.) on decrit l'evolution—au cours de l'enfance—des representations relatives au fonctionnement mental des etres humains. Il apparait tout d'abord que, tres precocement, l'enfant dispose de connaissances et de representations relatives a l'esprit humain: lesquelles lui permettent de differencier entites mentales et physiques, d'attribuer divers etats mentaux aux etres humains, d'expliquer les actions humaines en reference a des etats mentaux tels les desirs et les croyances, etc. Toutefois, aux alentours de 5 ans, d'importants changements qualitatifs se manifestent dans la connaissance qu'ont les enfants de la vie'mentale. Ainsi, a une conception de l'esprit humain comme reservoir d'etats mentaux (resultant du contact direct avec la realite) succederait une conception de l'esprit comme mediateur, generateur d'etats mentaux. In the present overview of research on certain aspects of psychological functioning (such as language, perception, explanation of actions, appearance/reality, etc.), the development of children's representations of the mental functioning of human beings is described. Children at a very early age appear to have already acquired knowledge about the human mind and constructed representations of it. These allow them to differentiate between mental and physical entities, attribute various mental states to human beings, and explain human actions in terms of mental states such as desires and beliefs, etc. However, at approximately 5 years old, important qualitative changes take place in the representation children have of mental life. Their prior conception of the human mind as a reservoir of mental states (resulting from direct contact with reality) is replaced by a conception of the mind as a mediator and, thus, a generator of mental states.
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