The Development of Role-Taking and Communication Skills in Children (1968) by John Flavell

When

I read this during my earlier years in my doctoral program.

Why

Children’s development of social (or social-cognitive) understanding was one of the three content areas I chose for my oral examinations. Although currently the field focuses more on what is referred to as Theory-of-Mind (TOM), Flavell’s pioneering research in cognitive role-taking was influential in subsequent investigations of role-taking, (social) perspective-taking, and TOM.

How

Due to his relevance for TOM, Flavell indirectly influences my work through his early emphasis on trying to understand the world from the (developing) child’s point of view. Regarding TOM, work in this area was recently incorporated into my brief analysis of a young Oswald Cobb in HBO’s The Penguin, and a conference presentation I gave today on superhero narratives and developmental psychology.