Relationship between Cognitive Perspective Taking and Teachers' Ratings of Children's Classroom Behavior in Grades One through Four

Summary The relationship was explored between cognitive perspective taking (the ability to infer another person's thoughts, attitudes, or intentions) and teachers' ratings of classroom behavior of 96 boys and girls in grades one through four. Good cognitive perspective taking skill was related to classroom behaviors that involved active peer interactions, particularly fighting/ quarrelling. This finding is interpreted as supporting Piaget's contention that the decline in egocentric reasoning is brought about through peer involvement. Although the present evidence suggests that cognitive perspective taking may be a cognitive prerequisite for various social behaviors, the investigation of the link between social cognition and social behavior would proceed more fruitfully if the motivational systems underlying the social behavior of interest could be identified and accurately assessed.