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ERIC Number: EJ942958
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Jun
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
Reference Count: 25
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0261-510X
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.
British Psychological Society. St Andrews House, 48 Princess Road East, Leicester, LE1 7DR, UK. Tel: +44-116-254-9568; Fax: +44-116-227-1314; e-mail: enquiry@bps.org.uk; Web site: http://www.bpsjournals.co.uk
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers: N/A