Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have specific difficulties understanding complex mental states (e.g., beliefs, desires, and knowledge) and tend to fail false-belief (FB) tasks. However, typically developing children can complete a FB task by about four years old. Previous studies have supported thought bubble training in teaching the FB task to children with ASD. Using dolls and a dollhouse made of blocks, the present study aimed to examine the effect of thought bubble training on the FB task for Japanese children with typical development. Faces, particularly eyes, are important for understanding others' mental states ; therefore, using different types of toys for training, this study focused on this aspect. Our study examined the influence of detailed prints on blocks, including dolls' faces, by comparing printed and non-printed blocks used in the training session. Thus, 61 children from two age groups, namely three and four years, participated in training sessions, with (1) printed toys, (2) non-printed toys, or (3) puzzle play, serving as a control task. After training sessions, four-year-old participants in the printed toy condition exclusively showed significantly increased scores on the FB tasks comprised of memory and mentalizing factors. The results revealed the effectiveness of thought bubble training for the FB task in Japanese four-year-old children in the printed toy condition. The study suggested a significant role for the doll's eyes and other facial features for training mental concepts.

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