Carla, a bright, energetic 8-year-old, has lost four gloves during the past few weeks. her mother is annoyed at the need to keep replacing gloves. carla notices that her little brother is amused that carla is in trouble, and she formulates the theory that her brother is stealing the gloves just to get her into trouble. carla is convinced that she is right. she refuses to entertain her mother's suggestion that carla is often so distracted that she does not keep track of her possessions. carla is displaying a form of