Five-year-olds who were surprised to discover that a Band-Aids box contained pencils were able to anticipate their friend's false belief about the contents of the box. This best illustrates that the children had developed a

A) secure attachment.
B) sense of object permanence.
C) theory of mind.
D) concept of conservation.

Theory of Mind

The ability to attribute mental states—beliefs, intents, desires, pretending, knowledge—to oneself and others and to understand that others have beliefs, desires, and intentions that are different from one's own.

Object Permanence

The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be observed (seen, heard, touched, smelled, or sensed in any way).

False Belief

A misunderstanding or incorrect interpretation about the state of the world, often studied in the context of cognitive and developmental psychology.