The Role of Embodiment and Fantasy Judgments in Learning from Pretend Play

• In Event: Poster Session 05
  In Poster Session: PS 05 Topic - Cognitive Processes

Abstract

Children can learn from fiction and pretend play (Mares & Sivakumar, 2014; Sutherland & Friendman, 2012; Thompson & Goldstein, 2019; Walker, et. al, 2015). However, much of this learning has been studied in contexts where children are passive receivers of information, rather than actively engaged in the play. Additionally, findings are mixed on whether children learn better from realistic or fantastical content, and whether their ability to distinguish between reality and fiction matters for learning. The present study experimentally manipulated both the way children are engaged in the material (passive vs. active play) and the nature of the content that is presented (realistic vs. fantastical) to examine their role in children’s learning.

Children were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: 1) Passively listening to story vignettes; 2) Partially embodied, interactive, guided puppet play vignettes; 3) Fully embodied, interactive, guided costumed role play vignettes. Each child was presented with six vignettes in a randomized order: three with a storyline involving realistic content, and three with fantastical content (content was also randomized). In the passive story listening condition, researchers read children stories. In the partially embodied puppet condition, researchers followed a script to guide children through interactive puppet play scenarios that conveyed the same information presented in the passive condition. In the fully embodied costume condition, researchers followed a script to guide children through interactive role play scenarios of the same stories as the other conditions. After each vignette, children were asked to categorize characters as real or pretend and answer three questions about the story to see what they learned.

We found a significant main effect of age F(2, 66) = 30.46, p < .001, η2 = .48, and a significant main effect of condition, F(2, 66) = 13.00, p < .001, η2 = .28 on children’s learning, but no significant interaction. Children in the passive condition scored lower than those in both the puppet (p < .001) and costume (p = .001) conditions. Three-year-olds scored lower than 4- (p = .003) and 5-year-olds (p < .001), and 4-year-olds scored lower than 5-year-olds (p < .001).

Across age and conditions, children categorized characters as real/pretend at chance levels rather than using elements of the stories to categorize characters. Three-year-olds scored better when they perceived characters to be pretend, but 4-year-olds scored better when they perceived characters to be real (effect of age for all categorizations: F(2, 53) = 2.60, p = .084; for correct categorizations: F(2, 36) = 4.42, p = .019). Five-year-olds scored similarly regardless of how they categorized characters.

Overall, children learned more when they engaged in active, embodied pretense compared to when they passively listening, but differed in how much they learn as a result of judgment of fantastical content. Children spend a great deal of time engaging in pretend play and in fictional worlds, both created and presented. Further research on modes of information and types of fiction that facilitate learning should explore how engaging children as active, embodied participants may support or hinder learning.

Authors

• Darian Stapleton, George Mason University
  Presenting Author

• Karlan Cruz, George Mason University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Pallavi Kanumuru, George Mason University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Brittany Thompson, George Mason University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Thalia Raquel Goldstein, George Mason University
  Non-Presenting Author