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Gavrilova M, Veraksa N. Not EF skills but play with real toys prevents screen time tantrums in children. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1384424. [PMID: 39086429 PMCID: PMC11290121 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1384424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Limiting children's screen time has become a new parenting challenge. Due to the high attractiveness of media and digital devices, many children experience painful transitions in screen time to other activities. Screen time tantrums is a new concept that describes children's negative affect screen time limits. Knowing the factors that increase children's negative reactions will be helpful in parents and educators practice to prevent screen time tantrums or enrich children's nondigital activities, making them attractive alternatives to the media. Based on theoretical insights into the coping mechanisms of frustration and anger in preschool children, this study was aimed to explore the effects of executive functions skills, family activities, and children's play behavior with real toys on screen time tantrums. Sample included 654 caregiver-child pairs (M children age = 70.3 months, SD = 4.02). Results confirmed the hypothesis that play behavior with real toys is a stronger preventor of screen time tantrum than EF skills. The findings suggest that supporting play activity in preschool children might help them to avoid strong negative affects due to screen time limitation. The results of this study may be also considered as a support for the theoretical assumptions that play can be considered as a universal way of coping with frustration and anger in childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margarita Gavrilova
- Federal Scientific Center of Psychological and Multidisciplinary Research, Moscow, Russia
- Faculty of Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State, University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Nikolay Veraksa
- Federal Scientific Center of Psychological and Multidisciplinary Research, Moscow, Russia
- Faculty of Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State, University, Moscow, Russia
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Dias Rodrigues A, Marmeleira J, Pomar C, Lamy E, Guerreiro D, Veiga G. Body-oriented interventions to promote preschoolers' social-emotional competence: a quasi-experimental study. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1198199. [PMID: 37599738 PMCID: PMC10436081 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1198199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Social-emotional competence is foundational to children's health and well-being. Body-oriented interventions, such as relaxation or play based interventions, have been shown to promote social-emotional competence, however more studies are needed to better understand the specific benefits of each type of body-oriented approach. Objective The present study aimed to examine the chronic and the acute effects of three body-oriented intervention programs (loose parts play, relaxation and combining loose parts play and relaxation) on preschoolers' social-emotional competence. Methods A quasi-experimental study was carried out, including 62 preschoolers (4.44 ± 0.93 years) that were allocated into 4 groups: Loose Parts Play program (n = 17); Relaxation program (n = 17); Combined program (n = 13); and Waitlist Control Group (no intervention; n = 15). All three intervention programs had a 12-week duration, with biweekly sessions of 30-min, implemented in the preschool outdoors. To examine the chronic effects of the intervention programs, all instruments (parents' and preschool teacher's questionnaires, tasks and saliva) were collected at baseline and after the 12-week period. To examine the acute effects, saliva samples were collected immediately before and after the 1st and the 24th sessions, with a total of 4 collections per child. Results Both loose parts play and relaxation interventions significantly improved (p < 0.05) children's positive emotion expression. Several within-groups changes were found for the Loose parts play, Relaxation and Combined programs. Conclusion Body-oriented interventions effectively promote preschoolers' social-emotional competence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreia Dias Rodrigues
- Departamento de Desporto e Saúde, Escola de Saúde e Desenvolvimento Humano, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
- Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC), Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
| | - José Marmeleira
- Departamento de Desporto e Saúde, Escola de Saúde e Desenvolvimento Humano, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
- Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC), Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
| | - Clarinda Pomar
- Departamento de Pedagogia e Educação, Escola de Ciências Sociais, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
- Centro de Investigação em Educação e Psicologia, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
| | - Elsa Lamy
- MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
- CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Universidade Évora, Évora, Portugal
| | - Daniela Guerreiro
- Departamento de Desporto e Saúde, Escola de Saúde e Desenvolvimento Humano, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
- Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC), Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
| | - Guida Veiga
- Departamento de Desporto e Saúde, Escola de Saúde e Desenvolvimento Humano, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
- Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC), Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
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Rueda-Posada MF, Thibodeau-Nielsen RB, Dier SE, Wilson-Dooley A, Palermo F, White RE, Chung C. Pandemic play moderates the relation between caregiver stress and child emotional distress in contexts of economic adversity. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1155617. [PMID: 37333599 PMCID: PMC10272616 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1155617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023] Open
Abstract
It is well-established that caregiver stress is linked to increased emotional distress among children, and recent evidence highlights similar associations between caregiver and child emotional well-being during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Examining protective factors and coping mechanisms that are associated with resiliency in the face of pandemic-related stress can highlight potential strategies that may help children adapt to other unexpected hardships outside of a global pandemic. Previous research found that playing about the pandemic moderated an association between caregiver stress and children's emotional distress. However, few studies have explored "pandemic play" among children from low-income households, where pandemic-related stressors were often exacerbated. In the present study, 72 caregivers of Head Start preschoolers between 3 and 6 years of age were surveyed between late 2020 and early 2021. Results revealed that 32% of children engaged in pandemic play frequently. Caregiver stress was positively associated with child emotional distress, but only among children who did not engage in pandemic play frequently. These findings support the idea that child-directed play may be a developmentally appropriate and accessible coping mechanism to reduce the emotional burden of stressful events on children, regardless of economic context.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Shannon E. Dier
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
| | - Alaina Wilson-Dooley
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
| | - Francisco Palermo
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
| | - Rachel E. White
- Department of Psychology, Hamilton College, Clinton, NY, United States
| | - Christina Chung
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
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Pretend play as abstraction: Implications for early development and beyond. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 147:105090. [PMID: 36787871 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Humans are the only species that engages in sustained, complex pretend play. As pretend play is practically ubiquitous across cultures, it might support or afford a context for developmental advances during the juvenile period that have implications for functioning in adulthood. Early in development, learning to separate our thoughts from reality is practiced in pretend play and is associated with changes not just in cognition, but in emotional and social domains as well. Specifically, pretend play affords opportunities to engage in abstractions that could support abilities such as perspective-taking, emotion recognition and regulation, and cooperation and negotiation in childhood. In turn, the abstraction skills promoted by early pretend play might underlie creativity, innovation, and our capacity to feel empathy and moral obligation to others in later childhood and adulthood. In fact, because pretend play affords sharing our abstractions with others, it might be an early context for behaviors that ultimately promote the shared abstractions of human culture itself.
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Shimizu H. The Impact of Working Memory on the Development of Social Play in Japanese Preschool Children: Emotion Knowledge as a Mediator. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 10:children10030524. [PMID: 36980082 PMCID: PMC10047190 DOI: 10.3390/children10030524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
Through enriched play, children learn social-emotional skills necessary for academic achievement and interpersonal relationships with others. Further research is needed on how specific factors associated with social play, such as working memory and emotion knowledge, interact to promote it. Previous studies have examined the association of working memory and emotion knowledge with social play. However, there are no consistent results as to which abilities influence which skills first. Thus, the present study examines the impact of working memory on the development of social play and the role of emotion knowledge in the relationship between working memory and social play. Forty-seven Japanese preschoolers were tested on working memory, social play, and emotion knowledge. Regression analysis indicated that working memory was significantly related to social play. Furthermore, mediation analysis indicated that emotion recognition mediates the effects of working memory on social play. Working memory was found to contribute to social play by improving emotion recognition in children. These results indicate that the pathway from working memory to social play is mediated by emotion recognition and expands previous perspectives on the developmental mechanisms of emotion knowledge in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hisayo Shimizu
- Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hiroshima University, Higashihiroshima 7398524, Japan
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6
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How does play foster development? A new executive function perspective. DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2022.101064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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Ibbotson P. The Development of Executive Function: Mechanisms of Change and Functional Pressures. JOURNAL OF COGNITION AND DEVELOPMENT 2023. [DOI: 10.1080/15248372.2022.2160719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Paul Ibbotson
- School of Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
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Islamiah N, Breinholst S, Walczak MA, Esbjørn BH. The role of fathers in children's emotion regulation development: A systematic review. INFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/icd.2397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nur Islamiah
- Department of Family and Consumer Sciences IPB University Bogor Indonesia
- Department of Psychology University of Copenhagen København K Denmark
| | - Sonja Breinholst
- Department of Psychology University of Copenhagen København K Denmark
| | - Monika A. Walczak
- Department of Psychology University of Copenhagen København K Denmark
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Which Types of Body-Oriented Interventions Promote Preschoolers' Social-Emotional Competence? A Systematic Review. Healthcare (Basel) 2022; 10:healthcare10122413. [PMID: 36553937 PMCID: PMC9777586 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare10122413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
There has been a recent increase in body-oriented interventions implemented in educational contexts. Body-oriented interventions are grounded on the body-mind relationship, involving body and movement awareness and expression. In this systematic review of the literature on body-oriented interventions implemented in preschool contexts, we review the scope and quality of the quantitative evidence of each type of body-oriented intervention regarding social-emotional competence. Seven databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs. Seven core body-oriented intervention programs were found (e.g., play, relaxation, and psychomotricity). Play programs were the most studied and appear to be the most effective to improve social-emotional competence. Nevertheless, the level of scientific evidence was compromised by the lack of studies with high methodological quality.
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Sukhikh VL, Veresov NN, Veraksa NE. Dramatic Perezhivanie as a driver of executive functions development through role-play in early childhood: Theoretical framework and experimental evidence. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1057209. [DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1057209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Role-play in early childhood is associated with development of executive functions (EFs), although study results remain inconsistent. Due to the complex nature of the role-play, the underlying mechanisms of these associations are not obvious. In this article, play is viewed in the framework of the cultural-historical approach as a special social situation that can become the social situation of development if it results in dramatic perezhivanie of a child. In this study, we compared the level of EFs and play behavior between two play contexts: play guided by an adult and one with less adult involvement. Play behavior was analyzed based on five behavioral measures suggested to be the markers of dramatic perezhivanie. Measures of EFs were taken before and after the experimental procedure. Results show that dramatic perezhivanie might be considered a driver of EFs development through role-play in early childhood. As well as this, the involvement of an adult into play was associated with different patterns of EFs dynamics before and after the intervention. Future work can investigate if the construct of dramatic perezhivanie, microsocial situation of development, and micro-crisis might explain variability of the study results on the association between the role-play and child development.
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Felsman P, Seifert CM, Sinco B, Himle JA. Reducing Social Anxiety and Intolerance of Uncertainty in Adolescents with Improvisational Theater. ARTS IN PSYCHOTHERAPY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2022.101985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Developing Children's Creativity and Social-Emotional Competencies through Play: Summary of Twenty Years of Findings of the Evidence-Based Interventions "Game Program". J Intell 2022; 10:jintelligence10040077. [PMID: 36278599 PMCID: PMC9590021 DOI: 10.3390/jintelligence10040077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
This work presents the results of four cooperative-creative game programs (Game Programs). In all four studies, experimental designs with repeated pretest-posttest measures and control groups were used. Validation samples ranged from 86 to 178 participants, randomly assigning participants to the experimental and control conditions. Before and after each program, a battery of assessment instruments was applied to measure the variables under study. The intervention consists of conducting a weekly game session during the school year. The results of the posttest covariance analyses confirmed a significant impact: (1) in social development, by increasing various positive social behaviors and decreasing many negative social behaviors; by increasing assertive cognitive strategies and prosocial resolution of interpersonal problems; and by enhancing relationships and positive communication among group members; (2) in emotional development, by improving self-concept, peer image, and emotional stability; and (3) in cognitive development, by increasing verbal intelligence, verbal and graphic-figurative creativity, as well as creative personality behaviors and traits. This work provides empirical evidence of the relevance of cooperative-creative play in child development.
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Kalkusch I, Jaggy AK, Burkhardt Bossi C, Weiss B, Sticca F, Perren S. Fostering children’s social pretend play competence and social skills through play tutoring: What is the mechanism of change? INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/01650254221108163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Training studies have shown the positive effects of play tutoring on children’s social skills. This study investigates whether the theoretically suggested mechanism of change—social pretend play quality—explains the effect of play tutoring on social pretend play competence and social skills. Twenty-seven Swiss playgroups ( N = 214 three- to four-year-olds) participated in a randomized intervention study with three conditions: the intervention group (play tutoring), the material group (half-dose), and the control group (treatment as usual). Weekly treatment sessions took place for six consecutive weeks. Pre-tests, post-tests, and a follow-up were made. Playgroup educators reported on children’s pretend play competence and social skills using a questionnaire. Children’s pretend play quality during treatment sessions was assessed by standardized behavioral observations. Using latent change models with indirect effects, we investigated whether the intervention effects of play tutoring on children’s pretend play competence and social skills are mediated by their social pretend play quality shown during the intervention sessions. The results indicate mediating effects of social pretend play quality on children’s change in social pretend play competence and self-oriented social skills (sociability and setting limits). The study supports social pretend play as a beneficial ground to promote social development but also indicates a more complex interplay of different change mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Kalkusch
- Thurgau University of Teacher Education, Switzerland
- University of Konstanz, Germany
| | - Ann-Kathrin Jaggy
- Thurgau University of Teacher Education, Switzerland
- University of Konstanz, Germany
| | | | - Barbara Weiss
- Thurgau University of Teacher Education, Switzerland
| | - Fabio Sticca
- Marie Meierhofer Children’s Institute, Switzerland
| | - Sonja Perren
- Thurgau University of Teacher Education, Switzerland
- University of Konstanz, Germany
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Rabkina I, Forbus KD. An Analogical Model of Pretense. Cogn Sci 2022; 46:e13112. [PMID: 35297079 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.13112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2017] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We argue that pretense can be viewed as analogical projection: a structural comparison between the pretend scenario and its real-world counterpart that leads to inferences about the pretend scenario. For example, in pretending to make a phone call with a banana, a number pad might be projected on the banana's surface. We model two empirical studies of early childhood pretense, and show how successful pretense requires making and accepting such inferences, while failed pretense can be traced to failure of such projection. Other models of pretense, both theoretical and computational, and their relationships to our model, are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Rabkina
- Department of Computer Science, Northwestern University
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Schatz JL, Suarez-Rivera C, Kaplan BE, Tamis-LeMonda CS. Infants' object interactions are long and complex during everyday joint engagement. Dev Sci 2022; 25:e13239. [PMID: 35150058 PMCID: PMC10184133 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 12/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
As infants interact with the object world, they generate rich information about object properties and functions. Much of infant learning unfolds in the presence of caregivers, who talk about and act on the objects of infant play. Does mother joint engagement correspond to real-time changes in the complexity and duration of infant object interactions? We observed thirty-eight mothers and their first-born infants (cross-sectional, 13, 18, and 23 months) during 2 hours of everyday activity as infants freely navigated their home environments. Behavioral coding explored thousands of infant object interactions within and outside mother joint engagement. Object interactions involving exclusively simple play were shorter than complex play bouts. Critically, mothers' multimodal input (i.e., touching/gesturing toward and talking about the focal object) corresponded with more complex and longer play bouts than when mothers provided no input. Bouts involving complex play and multimodal input lasted 7.5 times longer than simple play bouts absent mother input. Moreover, "action-orienting talk" (e.g., "Twist it", "Feed dolly"), rather than talk per se, corresponded with longer bout duration and complexity. Notably, the association between joint engagement and play duration was not a function of mothers having more time to join. Analyses that eliminated short infant bouts and considered the timing of mothers' behaviors confirmed that mother input "extended" the duration of play bouts. As infants actively explore their environments, their object interactions change moment to moment in the presence of mothers' multimodal engagement. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS Mothers and infants were videorecorded for 2 hours at home; researchers coded infants' object interactions and mothers' behaviors (verbal, manual) toward the focal object. Mothers' multimodal joint engagement (i.e., coordinated manual and verbal input) was associated with long and complex infant object interactions. The pragmatics of mothers' talk-namely action-orienting language-related to the duration and complexity of infant object bouts beyond talk per se. Infants' object interactions change in complexity and duration in line with maternal joint engagement, indicating potential mechanisms of real-time learning. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Dias Rodrigues A, Cruz-Ferreira A, Marmeleira J, Veiga G. Effects of Body-Oriented Interventions on Preschoolers' Social-Emotional Competence: A Systematic Review. Front Psychol 2022; 12:752930. [PMID: 35095644 PMCID: PMC8795633 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.752930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE A growing body of evidence supports the effectiveness of body-oriented interventions (BOI) in educational contexts, showing positive influences on social-emotional competence. Nevertheless, there is a lack of systematization of the evidence regarding preschool years. This is a two-part systematic review. In this first part, we aim to examine the effects of BOI on preschoolers' social-emotional competence outcomes. DATA SOURCES Searches were conducted in Pubmed, Scopus, PsycInfo, ERIC, Web of Science, Portal Regional da BVS and CINAHL. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA English, French and Portuguese language articles published between January 2000 and October 2020, that evaluated the effects of BOI implemented in educational contexts on social-emotional competence of preschool children. Only randomized controlled trials (RCT) or quasi-RCT were included. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS Two reviewers independently completed data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment. The level of scientific evidence was measured through the Best Evidence Synthesis. RESULTS Nineteen studies were included. There was strong evidence that BOI do not improve anger/aggression, delay of gratification and altruism. Nevertheless, there was moderate evidence that BOI effectively improve other social-emotional outcomes, such as empathy, social interaction, social independence, general internalizing behaviors, and general externalizing behaviors. The lack of scientific evidence was compromised by the methodological quality of the studies. CONCLUSION BOI effectively improve specific social-emotional competences of preschool children. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION PROSPERO, identifier CRD42020172248.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreia Dias Rodrigues
- Escola de Saúde e Desenvolvimento Humano, Departamento de Desporto e Saúde, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
- Comprehensive Health Research Centre, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal
| | - Ana Cruz-Ferreira
- Escola de Saúde e Desenvolvimento Humano, Departamento de Desporto e Saúde, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
- Comprehensive Health Research Centre, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal
| | - José Marmeleira
- Escola de Saúde e Desenvolvimento Humano, Departamento de Desporto e Saúde, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
- Comprehensive Health Research Centre, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal
| | - Guida Veiga
- Escola de Saúde e Desenvolvimento Humano, Departamento de Desporto e Saúde, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
- Comprehensive Health Research Centre, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal
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All non-real worlds provide exploration: Evidence from developmental psychology. Behav Brain Sci 2022; 45:e290. [DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x21002314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
While Dubourg and Baumard argue that predisposition toward exploration draws us to fictional environments, they fail to answer their titular question: “Why Imaginary Worlds?” Research in pretend play, psychological distancing, and theatre shows that being “imaginary” (i.e., any type of unreal, rather than only fantastically unreal) makes exploration of any fictional world profoundly different than that of real-life unfamiliar environments.
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CELUME MP, ZENASNI F. How perspective-taking underlies creative thinking and the socio-emotional competency in trainings of drama pedagogy. ESTUDOS DE PSICOLOGIA (CAMPINAS) 2022. [DOI: 10.1590/1982-0275202239e200015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract Policy-makers and scholars agree that creativity and socio-emotional competencies can be taught, learned, and enhanced through creative arts like theatre. Nevertheless, few authors have studied the processes underlying both constructs in artistic education, which would permit to understand how children develop them and re-create adapted methodologies. Thus, we proposed to observe a drama pedagogy training for elementary school children, evaluating their creative thinking and theory-of-mind. To understand perspective-thinking as a process underlying creative thinking and theory-of-mind in the context of drama pedagogy training. Quasi-experimental pre-post-test design. Standardized tests analysis, plus thematic analysis from observation of 240 minutes recording of drama pedagogy training. Higher increase in creative thinking with a strong effect of drama pedagogy training on divergent thinking. Thematic analyses showed that drama pedagogy training activities focus mainly on socio-emotional competency (linked to theory-of-mind). Perspective-taking appears as an underlying process that explains both creative thinking and the development of socio-emotional competencies by permitting the child to see from another person’s perspective, providing several ideas-solutions for a problem (creative thinking), as well as understanding other people’s emotions and motivations (theory-of-mind).
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Bauer RH, Gilpin AT, Thibodeau-Nielsen RB. Executive functions and imaginative play: Exploring relations with prosocial behaviors using structural equation modeling. Trends Neurosci Educ 2021; 25:100165. [PMID: 34844695 DOI: 10.1016/j.tine.2021.100165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Policy makers have long considered how to best educate children for success. Thus, this research explored whether imaginative play serves as a positive context for developing executive functions (EF) and prosocial behaviors necessary for academic success. Specifically, we hypothesized that EF would explain links between imaginative play and prosocial behaviors. METHOD 284 preschool children and their teachers completed measures of imaginative play, EF, and prosocial behaviors. Structural Equation Modeling examined mediational links between these constructs. RESULTS Imaginative play predicted both hot and cool EF, as well as prosocial behavior, even after controlling for age and vocabulary; furthermore, the relationship between imaginative play and prosocial behavior was fully mediated by hot EF. CONCLUSION Results suggest that imaginative play may serve as a positive context for developing EF and prosocial behaviors. Curricula and teachers should consider encouraging imaginative play to facilitate the development of EF and prosocial behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca H Bauer
- Center for Youth Development and Intervention, Department of Psychology, The University of Alabama, Box 870348, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0348, USA
| | - Ansley T Gilpin
- Center for Youth Development and Intervention, Department of Psychology, The University of Alabama, Box 870348, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0348, USA
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20
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Self-directed dramatic and music play programs enhance executive function in Japanese children. Trends Neurosci Educ 2021; 24:100158. [PMID: 34412862 DOI: 10.1016/j.tine.2021.100158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Young children can be trained in executive function (EF) using specific educational programs, but it is unclear whether play-based programs enhance EF. METHOD This study investigated the effectiveness of play programs on EF development in Japanese preschool children. Specifically, we used a dramatic play program and a music play program focused on the development of children's self-directedness, and compared to a control group who received an educational program without self-directedness. Children received a 30-minute lesson for over six weeks (a total of 30 lessons). Pre- and post-test measures of EF performance (working memory, inhibitory control, cognitive shifting) were administered to all children. RESULTS We found that children who received the dramatic play and music play programs showed significant improvements in performances of working memory and inhibitory control compared to those in a control group. CONCLUSION Daily play programs that focus on children's self-directedness can promote children's EF development.
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21
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Thibodeau‐Nielsen RB, Turley D, DeCaro JA, Gilpin AT, Nancarrow AF. Physiological substrates of imagination in early childhood. SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/sode.12505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Danielle Turley
- Human Development and Family Science University of Missouri Columbia MO USA
| | - Jason A. DeCaro
- Department of Anthropology University of Alabama Tuscaloosa AL USA
| | - Ansley T. Gilpin
- Department of Psychology University of Alabama Tuscaloosa AL USA
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22
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Grosz MP, Lemp JM, Rammstedt B, Lechner CM. Personality Change Through Arts Education: A Review and Call for Further Research. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2021; 17:360-384. [PMID: 34283673 PMCID: PMC8902031 DOI: 10.1177/1745691621991852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Education involving active engagement in the arts, herein called arts education, is often believed to foster the development of desirable personality traits and skills in children and adolescents. Yet the impact of arts education on personality development has rarely been systematically investigated. In the current article, we reviewed the literature on personality change through arts education. We identified 36 suitable experimental and quasi-experimental studies. Evidence from these studies tentatively suggests that arts-education programs can foster personality traits such as extraversion and conscientiousness but not self-esteem. In addition, the effects of arts education appeared to be stronger in early and middle childhood than in preadolescence and early adolescence. However, the evidence for the effectiveness of arts education was very limited among the few included true experiments. Furthermore, the reviewed studies were heterogenous and subject to content-related, methodological, and statistical limitations. Thus, the current evidence base is inconclusive as to the effects of arts education on personality development. By identifying potential effects of arts education and limitations of past research, our review serves as a call for more research and guidepost for future studies on arts education and personality change.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Julia M Lemp
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH), Medical Faculty and University Hospital, University of Heidelberg
| | - Beatrice Rammstedt
- Department of Survey Design and Methodology, GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Mannheim
| | - Clemens M Lechner
- Department of Survey Design and Methodology, GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Mannheim
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23
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Marwick H, Jarvie K, Cowie H, Johnston L, Hammond-Evans N, Cockayne R. Developing Pretend Play in Autistic Children Using the Playboxes Joint Play Approach as Part of Ongoing Practice. J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 52:3050-3060. [PMID: 34244915 PMCID: PMC9213294 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-05156-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
A repeated measures single subject design was used to examine the effectiveness of a joint play approach embedded in professional practice, in supporting pretend play for autistic children. Seven autistic children, aged 5–8 years, with a placement within a specialist educational provision, and who demonstrated restricted play, participated in weekly sessions using the Playboxes approach over a period of 3 months. Pre- and post-approach pretend play abilities were assessed using the Symbolic Play Test and the Test of Pretend Play. Every child gained increased age-equivalent scores on the Test of Pretend Play, ranging from + 8 to + 30 months. Pretend Play abilities can support developmental outcomes and incorporation of this approach into regular practice could be of value for autistic children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Marwick
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Education, Lord Hope Building, University of Strathclyde, 141, St James Road, Glasgow, G4 0LT, UK.
| | - Karena Jarvie
- Psychological Services, Children and Families, City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Lorna Johnston
- Additional Support for Learning Services, Children and Families, City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Nicola Hammond-Evans
- Additional Support for Learning Services, Children and Families, City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Rachael Cockayne
- NHS Lothian, Edinburgh, UK
- Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
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24
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White RE, Carlson SM. Pretending with realistic and fantastical stories facilitates executive function in 3-year-old children. J Exp Child Psychol 2021; 207:105090. [PMID: 33684892 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Revised: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Fictional stories can affect many aspects of children's behavior and cognition, yet little is known about how they might help or hinder children's executive function skills. The current study investigated the role of story content (fantasy or reality) and mode of engagement with the story (pretense or a non-pretense control) on children's inhibitory control, an important component of early executive function. A total of 60 3-year-olds were randomly assigned to hear a fantastical or realistic story and were encouraged to engage in either pretense or a non-pretense activity related to the story. They then completed the Less Is More task of inhibitory control. Story content had no impact on children's inhibitory control; children performed equally well after hearing a fantastical or realistic story. However, children who engaged in story-related pretend play showed greater inhibitory control than those who engaged in a non-pretense activity. We found no interaction between story content and play engagement type. These results held when controlling for baseline inhibitory control, receptive vocabulary, age, gender, affect, and propensity toward pretense. Therefore, mode of play engagement with a story was more important in promoting children's inhibitory control skills than the degree of realism in the story.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel E White
- Hamilton College, Clinton, NY 13323, USA; University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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25
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Celume MP, Goldstein T, Besançon M, Zenasni F. Developing Children's Socio-Emotional Competencies Through Drama Pedagogy Training: An Experimental Study on Theory of Mind and Collaborative Behavior. EUROPES JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2021; 16:707-726. [PMID: 33680207 PMCID: PMC7909491 DOI: 10.5964/ejop.v16i4.2054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 12/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Drama pedagogy training (DPT) is a drama-based-pedagogy focused on socio-emotional-learning (SEL) development, over academic or artistic. This study aims to see if DPT promotes theory of mind (ToM) and collaborative behavior in 126 French children aged 9-10 years old, randomly assigned to an experimental group (DPT), either a control group for 6 weeks. Post-tests showed large effects of training on ToM, F(1, 124) = 24.36, p < .001, η² =.16, and collaborative behavior, F(1, 124) = 29.8, p < .001, η² = .19. T-test showed significant differences on ToM (t = -4.94, p < .001) and collaborative behavior (t = -5.46, p < .001), higher for DPT. Effects of type of school and grade are discussed. Results confirm the hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Macarena-Paz Celume
- Laboratoire de Psychologie et d'Ergonomie Appliquées (LaPEA), Université de Paris, Paris, France.,Center for Research and Interdisciplinarity, Paris, France
| | - Thalia Goldstein
- Social Skills, Imagination and Theatre Lab, Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
| | - Maud Besançon
- Laboratoire de Psychologie: Cognition, Comportement, Communication (LP3C), Université de Rennes 2, Rennes, France
| | - Franck Zenasni
- Laboratoire de Psychologie et d'Ergonomie Appliquées (LaPEA), Université de Paris, Paris, France
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26
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Drake JE. How Drawing to Distract Improves Mood in Children. Front Psychol 2021; 12:622927. [PMID: 33603704 PMCID: PMC7884745 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.622927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous research has shown that drawing improves short-term mood in children when used to distract from rather than express negative thoughts and feelings. The current study sought to examine (a) how drawing might elevate mood in children ages 6-12 by examining the role played by absorption, enjoyment, and perceived competence as well as entering an imaginary world; and (b) whether children spontaneously use drawing to distract from a sad mood. Across three studies, children were asked to think of a disappointing event. After a sad mood induction, they drew for 5 min. Mood was measured before and after the mood induction and after drawing. Three main findings emerged. First, drawing to distract led to greater absorption and enjoyment than did drawing to express. Second, children's mood improved equally when drawing imaginary and real scenes showing that the key ingredient is that the content of the drawings be distracting in nature. Third, drawing improved mood even when children were given no instructions on the content of their drawings and children were more likely to use drawing as a way to distract themselves from a sad mood. These studies help to define the characteristics of drawing activities that foster mood improvement in children and highlight the important role of the arts in emotion regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E. Drake
- Department of Psychology, Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, United States
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27
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Richard S, Baud-Bovy G, Clerc-Georgy A, Gentaz E. The effects of a 'pretend play-based training' designed to promote the development of emotion comprehension, emotion regulation, and prosocial behaviour in 5- to 6-year-old Swiss children. Br J Psychol 2020; 112:690-719. [PMID: 33314057 DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a pretend play-based training designed to promote the development of socio-emotional competences. 79 children aged 5 to 6 years were evaluated before and after a pretend play-based training. The experimental group (39 children) received this programme on emotion comprehension, negative emotion regulation, and prosocial behaviour one hour a week for eleven weeks during class hours, while the control group (40 children) received no specific intervention. The programme was implemented by 5 teachers. The results show improvements in the ability to understand emotions in children who benefited from the training. These findings are discussed in the broader context of using this form of play as a privileged pedagogical tool to allow children to develop these competences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvie Richard
- Valais University of Teacher Education, Saint-Maurice, Switzerland.,Department of Psychology, University of Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Gabriel Baud-Bovy
- Faculty of Psychology, Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.,Robotics, Brain and Cognitive Sciences Unit, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
| | | | - Edouard Gentaz
- Department of Psychology, University of Geneva, Switzerland
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28
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McDonald B, Goldstein TR, Kanske P. Could Acting Training Improve Social Cognition and Emotional Control? Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:348. [PMID: 33173473 PMCID: PMC7538666 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Brennan McDonald
- Clinical Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Thalia R Goldstein
- Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United States
| | - Philipp Kanske
- Clinical Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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29
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Dumas D, Doherty M, Organisciak P. The psychology of professional and student actors: Creativity, personality, and motivation. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0240728. [PMID: 33091923 PMCID: PMC7580901 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
As a profession, acting is marked by a high-level of economic and social riskiness concomitantly with the possibility for artistic satisfaction and/or public admiration. Current understanding of the psychological attributes that distinguish professional actors is incomplete. Here, we compare samples of professional actors (n = 104), undergraduate student actors (n = 100), and non-acting adults (n = 92) on 26 psychological dimensions and use machine-learning methods to classify participants based on these attributes. Nearly all of the attributes measured here displayed significant univariate mean differences across the three groups, with the strongest effect sizes being on Creative Activities, Openness, and Extraversion. A cross-validated Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) classification model was capable of identifying actors (either professional or student) from non-actors with a 92% accuracy and was able to sort professional from student actors with a 96% accuracy when age was included in the model, and a 68% accuracy with only psychological attributes included. In these LASSO models, actors in general were distinguished by high levels of Openness, Assertiveness, and Elaboration, but professional actors were specifically marked by high levels of Originality, Volatility, and Literary Activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Dumas
- Department of Research Methods and Information Science, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Michael Doherty
- Actor’s Equity Association, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Peter Organisciak
- Department of Research Methods and Information Science, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, United States of America
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30
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Thibodeau‐Nielsen RB, Gilpin AT. The role of emotion regulation in the relationship between pretense and executive function in early childhood: For whom is the relationship strongest? INFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/icd.2193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ansley T. Gilpin
- Department of Psychology University of Alabama Tuscaloosa Alabama USA
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31
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Goldstein TR, Young DL, Thompson BN. It's All Critical: Acting Teachers' Beliefs About Theater Classes. Front Psychol 2020; 11:775. [PMID: 32508699 PMCID: PMC7248218 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Acting classes and theater education have long been framed as activities during which children can learn skills that transfer outside the acting classroom. A growing empirical literature provides evidence for acting classes’ efficacy in teaching vocabulary, narrative, empathy, theory of mind, and emotional control. Yet these studies have not been based in what is actually happening in the acting classroom, nor on what acting teachers report as their pedagogical strategies. Instead, previous work has been unsystematic and fragmented in its measured transfer outcomes, and absent mechanistic explanation. Expanding research on this topic requires more grounding in teachers’ beliefs about the acting classes they teach, as well as observation of the classes themselves. As a first step, we surveyed 173 acting teachers online, asking them about the activities within acting classes they believed caused change in their students, as well as which outcomes they believed were changed as a result of acting classes. Teachers taught across educational levels (elementary to professional) and had a variety of training in teaching acting. Overall, teachers rated almost every activity within classes as important for and causing impact on students, and almost every outcome as being positively influenced as a result of acting class. When forced to rank-order outcomes, teachers focused on collaboration, communication, creativity, confidence, and empathy as most likely to change. Teachers rated the importance of class activities and outcomes differently depending on what level they taught. This study shows the difficulty of surveying highly motivated teachers, given the globally high rankings, but also proposes candidate psychological skills likely to change as a result of acting classes and the mechanistic behaviors that may cause change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thalia R Goldstein
- Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United States
| | - DaSean L Young
- Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United States
| | - Brittany N Thompson
- Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United States
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32
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Abstract
Research on executive function in early childhood has flourished in recent years. Much of this work is premised on a view of development of executive function as the emergence of a set of domain-general component processes (e.g., working memory updating, inhibitory control, shifting). This view has shaped how we think about relations between executive function and other aspects of development, the role of the environment in executive-function development, and how best to improve executive function in children who struggle with it. However, there are conceptual and empirical reasons to doubt that executive function should be defined in this way. I argue that the development of executive function is better understood as the emergence of skills in using control in the service of specific goals. Such goals activate and are influenced by mental content such as knowledge, beliefs, norms, values, and preferences that are acquired with development and are important to consider in understanding children’s performance on measures of executive function. This account better explains empirical findings than the component-process view; leads to specific, testable hypotheses; and has implications for theory, measurement, and interventions.
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33
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Petersen H, Holodynski M. Bewitched to Be Happy? The Impact of Pretend Play on Emotion Regulation of Expression in 3- to 6-Year-Olds. The Journal of Genetic Psychology 2020; 181:111-126. [PMID: 32114957 DOI: 10.1080/00221325.2020.1734909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
As a means of psychological distancing, pretend play may facilitate emotion regulation. Up to now, however, the empirical evidence for a relation between these two is not consistent. The present study examines the impact of pretend play on reflective emotion regulation of expression with a disappointing gift task using the strategy of role-taking. Fifty-two children aged 3 to 6 years were motivated to deceive the experimenter volitionally by false smiling, regardless of whether they received an attractive gift, an unattractive gift, or no gift. Twenty-five of the children accomplished the task in the context of a pretend play where they were playfully guided to take on a role assumed to facilitate reflective emotion regulation of expression. The other 27 children received only a direct verbal instruction. As an indication of successful reflective emotion regulation of expression, twelve adult naïve observers judged children's videotaped behavior according to the quality of emotion that the children seemed to experience. This impression analysis showed no impact of experimental variation and thus no facilitating effect of pretend play with a given task-convenient role. While happiness ratings in the pretend play group did not correlate to children's quality of play, they positively correlated to children's joy of playing.
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34
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Thompson BN, Goldstein TR. Disentangling pretend play measurement: Defining the essential elements and developmental progression of pretense. DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2019.100867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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35
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Brown S, Cockett P, Yuan Y. The neuroscience of Romeo and Juliet: an fMRI study of acting. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:181908. [PMID: 31032043 PMCID: PMC6458376 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.181908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The current study represents a first attempt at examining the neural basis of dramatic acting. While all people play multiple roles in daily life-for example, 'spouse' or 'employee'-these roles are all facets of the 'self' and thus of the first-person (1P) perspective. Compared to such everyday role playing, actors are required to portray other people and to adopt their gestures, emotions and behaviours. Consequently, actors must think and behave not as themselves but as the characters they are pretending to be. In other words, they have to assume a 'fictional first-person' (Fic1P) perspective. In this functional MRI study, we sought to identify brain regions preferentially activated when actors adopt a Fic1P perspective during dramatic role playing. In the scanner, university-trained actors responded to a series of hypothetical questions from either their own 1P perspective or from that of Romeo (male participants) or Juliet (female participants) from Shakespeare's drama. Compared to responding as oneself, responding in character produced global reductions in brain activity and, particularly, deactivations in the cortical midline network of the frontal lobe, including the dorsomedial and ventromedial prefrontal cortices. Thus, portraying a character through acting seems to be a deactivation-driven process, perhaps representing a 'loss of self'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Brown
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main St West, Hamilton, Ontario, CanadaL8S 4M9
| | - Peter Cockett
- School of the Arts, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ye Yuan
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main St West, Hamilton, Ontario, CanadaL8S 4M9
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36
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Zosh JM, Hirsh-Pasek K, Hopkins EJ, Jensen H, Liu C, Neale D, Solis SL, Whitebread D. Accessing the Inaccessible: Redefining Play as a Spectrum. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1124. [PMID: 30116208 PMCID: PMC6084083 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2018] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Defining play has plagued researchers and philosophers for years. From describing play as an inaccessible concept due to its complexity, to providing checklists of features, the field has struggled with how to conceptualize and operationalize “play.” This theoretical piece reviews the literature about both play and learning and suggests that by viewing play as a spectrum – that ranges from free play (no guidance or support) to guided play and games (including purposeful adult support while maintaining playful elements), we better capture the true essence of play and explain its relationship to learning. Insights from the Science of Learning allow us to better understand why play supports learning across social and academic domains. By changing the lens through which we conceptualize play, we account for previous findings in a cohesive way while also proposing new avenues of exploration for the field to study the role of learning through play across age and context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M Zosh
- The Pennsylvania State University Brandywine, Media, PA, United States
| | - Kathy Hirsh-Pasek
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,The Brookings Institution, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Emily J Hopkins
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | | | - Claire Liu
- Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Dave Neale
- School of Education, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
| | - S Lynneth Solis
- Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - David Whitebread
- Homerton College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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