JOSEF PERNER received his PhD in Psychology from the University of Toronto. He was Professor in Experimental Psychology, University of Sussex, and is now Professor of Psychology and member of the Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg. He authored over 200 articles on cognitive development, consciousness, simulation in decision making, mental representation, and cognitive neuroscience. He served as President of the European Society for Philosophy and Psychology, is a Fellow of the British Academy, Academia Europaea, Leopoldina, Center for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, and holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Basel.

Mental files theory, originating from philosophy of mind theorists, has not often been used or tested by psychologists despite its clear relevance to the field, particularly to child cognitive development. Perner's book not only fills this gap but also successfully makes the case that mental files theory can connect the sometimes-puzzling dots of child development research in areas ranging from theory of mind to perspective-taking, appearance-reality distinctions, and language. ... Highly recommended.

JOSEF PERNER received his PhD in Psychology from the University of Toronto. He was Professor in Experimental Psychology, University of Sussex, and is now Professor of Psychology and member of the Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg. He authored over 200 articles on cognitive development, consciousness, simulation in decision making, mental representation, and cognitive neuroscience. He served as President of the European Society for Philosophy and Psychology, is a Fellow of the British Academy, Academia Europaea, Leopoldina, Center for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, and holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Basel.

Mental files theory, originating from philosophy of mind theorists, has not often been used or tested by psychologists despite its clear relevance to the field, particularly to child cognitive development. Perner's book not only fills this gap but also successfully makes the case that mental files theory can connect the sometimes-puzzling dots of child development research in areas ranging from theory of mind to perspective-taking, appearance-reality distinctions, and language. ... Highly recommended.