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ERIC Number: EJ942958
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Jun
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0261-510X
EISSN: N/A
Do Monsters Dream? Young Children's Understanding of the Fantasy/Reality Distinction
Sharon, Tanya; Woolley, Jacqueline D.
British Journal of Developmental Psychology, v22 n2 p293-310 Jun 2004
Young children are often thought to confuse fantasy and reality. This study took a second look at preschoolers' fantasy/reality differentiation. We employed a new measure of fantasy/reality differentiation--a property attribution task--in which children were questioned regarding the properties of both real and fantastical entities. We also modified the standard forced-choice categorization task (into real/fantastical) to include a "not sure" option, thus allowing children to express uncertainty. Finally, we assessed the relation between individual levels of fantasy orientation and fantasy/reality differentiation. Results suggest that children have a more developed appreciation of the boundary between fantasy and reality than is often supposed.
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A