Assesses the claim that metarepresentation — the mental representation of a mental representation — is a key notion in understanding the nature and development of our capacity to engage in pretence. Argues that the metarepresentational programme is unhelpful in explaining how pretence operates and, in particular, how agents distinguish pretence from reality. Sketches an alternative approach to the relations between pretending and believing.
Keywords: children, functional roles, imagination, metarepresentation, pretence, representation