The study investigates whether 18-month-old children can infer an adult's intended actions based on their failed attempts. In Experiment 1, children were shown an adult who tried but failed to perform certain target acts. Children in comparison groups either saw the full target act or appropriate controls. Results showed that children could infer the adult's intended act by watching the failed attempts. Experiment 2 tested children's understanding of an inanimate object that traced the same movements as the person had followed. Children showed a completely different reaction to the mechanical device than to the person: They did not produce the target acts in this case. Eighteen-month-olds situate people within a psychological framework that differentiates between the surface behavior of people and a deeper level involving goals and intentions. They have already adopted a fundamental aspect of folk psychology—persons (but not inanimate objects) are understood within a framework involving goals and intentions. The study explores how children develop a theory of mind, understanding others as psychological beings with mental states such as beliefs, desires, emotions, and intentions. It suggests that children first adopt a representational model of mind by about 3 to 5 years of age. The study also highlights that 3-year-olds can recognize desires even if they are not fulfilled and can distinguish between intended, unintended, and mistaken actions. The research also suggests that children understand the linkage between desires, actions, and emotional reactions. The study uses a behavioral re-enactment procedure to test children's understanding of intentions. The procedure capitalizes on toddlers' natural tendency to imitate what they see. In Experiment 1, children were confronted with an adult who tried but failed to perform a target act. The results showed that 18-month-old children understood the intentions of others and performed the acts the adult intended to do even though the adult's acts failed. In Experiment 2, children's reactions to a person versus an inanimate object were compared. The results showed that children did not produce the target acts when the movements were traced by an inanimate device. The experiments show that 18-month-old children already situate people within a psychological framework. They have adopted a key element of a folk psychology: People (but not inanimate objects) are understood within a framework that includes goals and intentions. The study suggests that 18-month-olds impute mental states as the causes of behavior or are in a transitional phase that serves to link the newborn's more embryonic notion of person to the full-blown mentalism of the 3-year-old.The study investigates whether 18-month-old children can infer an adult's intended actions based on their failed attempts. In Experiment 1, children were shown an adult who tried but failed to perform certain target acts. Children in comparison groups either saw the full target act or appropriate controls. Results showed that children could infer the adult's intended act by watching the failed attempts. Experiment 2 tested children's understanding of an inanimate object that traced the same movements as the person had followed. Children showed a completely different reaction to the mechanical device than to the person: They did not produce the target acts in this case. Eighteen-month-olds situate people within a psychological framework that differentiates between the surface behavior of people and a deeper level involving goals and intentions. They have already adopted a fundamental aspect of folk psychology—persons (but not inanimate objects) are understood within a framework involving goals and intentions. The study explores how children develop a theory of mind, understanding others as psychological beings with mental states such as beliefs, desires, emotions, and intentions. It suggests that children first adopt a representational model of mind by about 3 to 5 years of age. The study also highlights that 3-year-olds can recognize desires even if they are not fulfilled and can distinguish between intended, unintended, and mistaken actions. The research also suggests that children understand the linkage between desires, actions, and emotional reactions. The study uses a behavioral re-enactment procedure to test children's understanding of intentions. The procedure capitalizes on toddlers' natural tendency to imitate what they see. In Experiment 1, children were confronted with an adult who tried but failed to perform a target act. The results showed that 18-month-old children understood the intentions of others and performed the acts the adult intended to do even though the adult's acts failed. In Experiment 2, children's reactions to a person versus an inanimate object were compared. The results showed that children did not produce the target acts when the movements were traced by an inanimate device. The experiments show that 18-month-old children already situate people within a psychological framework. They have adopted a key element of a folk psychology: People (but not inanimate objects) are understood within a framework that includes goals and intentions. The study suggests that 18-month-olds impute mental states as the causes of behavior or are in a transitional phase that serves to link the newborn's more embryonic notion of person to the full-blown mentalism of the 3-year-old.