Gimenez-Dase M., Pons F., Bender P.K. Imaginary Companions, Theory of Mind and Emotion Understanding in Young Children
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Gimenez-Dase M., Pons F., Bender P.K. Imaginary Companions, Theory of Mind and Emotion Understanding in Young Children // Preschool Education Today. 2017, Issue 8 -
p. 50–57.
This work is licensed under a Сreative Commons Atribiution - NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Abstract
The phenomenon of imaginary companions (ICs) has received little attention in developmental psychology, even though it can be observed in approximately 25% of preschool-aged children. Only a few studies have investigated the effect of ICs on children’s theory of mind and emotion understanding, and the results are partial or inconsistent. This study used comprehensive measures to assess emotional understanding and theory of mind in children aged four to six with ICs (N = 24) and compared their performance to that of children without ICs (N = 24). Results showed that children with ICs, regardless of age and gender, have a better theory of mind and emotion understanding than children without ICs. The greatest impact of ICs was on girls’ emotion understanding. The results are discussed in relation to gender differences.
References
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26. Rosengren, K., C. Kalish, A. Hickling, and S. Gelman. 1994. “Exploring the Relation between Preschool Children’s Magical Beliefs and Causal Thinking.” British Journal of Developmental Psychology 12: 69–82.
27. Singer, D. G., and J. L. Singer. 1991. The House of Make Belief. Children’s Play and the Developing Imagination. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
28. Svendsen, M. 1934. “Children’s Imaginary Companions.” Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry 32: 985–999.
29. Taylor, M. 1999. Imaginary Companions and the Children Who Creates Them. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
30. Taylor, M., B. Cartwright, and S. Carlson. 1993. “A Developmental Investigation of Children’s Imaginary Companions.” Developmental Psychology 29 (2): 276–285.
31. Taylor, M., and S. Carlson. 1997. “The Relation between Individual Differences in Fantasy and Theory of Mind.” Child Development 68 (3): 436–455.
32. Taylor, M., S. Carlson, B. Maring, L. Gerow, and C. Charley. 2004. “The Characteristics and Correlates of Fantasy in School-Age Children: Imaginary Companions, Impersonation and Social Understanding.” Developmental Psychology 40 (6): 1173–1187.
33. Trentacosta, C. J., and S. E. Fine. 2010. “Emotion Knowledge, Social Competence, and Behavior Problems in Childhood and Adolescence: A Meta-Analytic Review.” Social Development 19 (1): 1–29.
34. Woolley, J. 1997. “Thinking about Fantasy: Are Children Fundamentally Different Thinkers and Believers from Adults?.” Child Development 68: 991–1011.
2. Bender, L., and F. Vogel. 1941. “Imaginary Companions of Children.” American Journal
of Orthopsychiatry 11: 56–65.
3. Boucher, J., F. Pons, S. Lind, and D. Williams. 2007. “Temporal Cognition in Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders: Tests of Diachronic Perspective Taking.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 37: 1413–1429.
4. Bourchier, A., and A. Davis. 2002. “Children’s Understanding of the Pretence-Reality Distinction: A Review of Current Theory and Evidence.” Developmental Science 5 (4): 397–426.
5. Carlson, S. M., and M. Taylor. 2005. “Imaginary Companions and Impersonated Characters: Sex Differences in Children’s Fantasy Play.” Merrill Palmer Quarterly 51: 299–324.
6. Coetzee, H., and R. Shute. 2003. “‘I Run Faster than him Because I have Faster Shoes’: Perceptions of Competence and Gender Role Stereotyping of Children’s Imaginary Friends.” Child Study Journal 33: 257–272.
7. Denham, S. 1998. Emotional Development in Young Children. New York: Guilford Press.
8. Denham, S. A., K. A. Blair, E. DeMulder, J. Levitas, K. S. Sawyer, S. T. Auerbach-Major, and P. Queenan. 2003. “Preschoolers’ Emotional Competence: Pathway to Social Competence?” Child Development 74 (3): 238–256.
9. Dunn, J., and J. Brown. 1994. “Affect Expression in the Family, Children's Understanding of Emotions and their Interactions with Others.” Merrill-Palmer Quarterly 40: 120–137.
10. Dunn, J., and A. L. Cutting. 1999. “Understanding Others, and Individual Differences in Friendship Interactions in Young Children.” Social Development 8 (2): 201–219.
11. Flavell, J. 2004. “Theory of Mind Development: Retrospect and Prospect.” Merrill-Palmer Quarterly 50 (3): 274–290.
12. Gimйnez-Dasн, M. 2003. “Existen las hadas y los monstruos? La distinciуn infantil entre lo real y lo mбgico. Una revisiуn crнtica de la literatura.” Estudios de Psicologнa 24 (3): 337–352.
13. Gleason, T., A. Sebanc, and W. Hartup. 2000. “Imaginary Companions of Preschool Children.” Developmental Psychology 36 (4): 419–428.
14. Gleason, T., R. Jarudi, and J. Cheek. 2003. “Imagination, Personality and Imaginary Companions.” Social Behaviour and Personality 31 (7): 721–738.
15. Harris, P. L. 2000. The Work of the Imagination. Oxford: Blackwell.
16. Harris, P. L. 2008. “Children’s Understanding of Emotion.” In The Handbook of Emotions, edited by M. Lewis, J. Haviland-Jones and L. Feldman Barrett, 3rd ed., 320–331. New York: Guilford Press.
17. Harter, S., and C. Chao. 1992. “The Role of Competence in Children’s Creation of Imaginary Friends.” Merrill-Palmer Quarterly 38 (3): 350–363.
18. Klausen, E., and R. Passman. 2007. “Pretend Companions (Imaginary Playmates): The Emergence of a Field.” The Journal of Genetic Psychology 16 (4): 349–364.
19. Mathur, R., and M. Smith. 2008. “An Investigation of Imaginary Companions in an Ethnic and Grade Diverse Sample.” Imagination, Cognition and Personality 27 (4): 313–336.
20. Mauro, J. 1991. The Friend that Only I Can See: A Longitudinal Investigation of Children’s Imaginary Companions. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Eugene: University of Oregon.
21. Mostow, A., C. Izard, S. Fine, and C. Trentacosta. 2002. “Modeling Emotional, Cognitive and, Behavioral Predictors of Peer Acceptance.” Child Development 73: 1775–1787.
22. Pons, F., and P. L. Harris. 2000. Test of Emotion Comprehension (TEC). Oxford: Oxford University.
23. Pons, F., and P. Harris. 2002. Theory of Mind Test (TMT). Cambridge: Harvard University.
24. Pons, F., and P. Harris. 2005. “Longitudinal Change and Longitudinal Stability of Individual Differences in Children’s Emotion Understanding.” Cognition and Emotion 19 (8): 1158–1174.
25. Pons, F., P. L. Harris, and M. de Rosnay. 2004. “Emotion Comprehension between 3 and 11 years: Developmental Periods and Hierarchical Organization.” European Journal of Developmental Psychology 1 (2): 127–152.
26. Rosengren, K., C. Kalish, A. Hickling, and S. Gelman. 1994. “Exploring the Relation between Preschool Children’s Magical Beliefs and Causal Thinking.” British Journal of Developmental Psychology 12: 69–82.
27. Singer, D. G., and J. L. Singer. 1991. The House of Make Belief. Children’s Play and the Developing Imagination. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
28. Svendsen, M. 1934. “Children’s Imaginary Companions.” Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry 32: 985–999.
29. Taylor, M. 1999. Imaginary Companions and the Children Who Creates Them. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
30. Taylor, M., B. Cartwright, and S. Carlson. 1993. “A Developmental Investigation of Children’s Imaginary Companions.” Developmental Psychology 29 (2): 276–285.
31. Taylor, M., and S. Carlson. 1997. “The Relation between Individual Differences in Fantasy and Theory of Mind.” Child Development 68 (3): 436–455.
32. Taylor, M., S. Carlson, B. Maring, L. Gerow, and C. Charley. 2004. “The Characteristics and Correlates of Fantasy in School-Age Children: Imaginary Companions, Impersonation and Social Understanding.” Developmental Psychology 40 (6): 1173–1187.
33. Trentacosta, C. J., and S. E. Fine. 2010. “Emotion Knowledge, Social Competence, and Behavior Problems in Childhood and Adolescence: A Meta-Analytic Review.” Social Development 19 (1): 1–29.
34. Woolley, J. 1997. “Thinking about Fantasy: Are Children Fundamentally Different Thinkers and Believers from Adults?.” Child Development 68: 991–1011.