Have you ever played comedy, lied or made a hypocritical diplomacy? So you are familiar with the idea of pretending. But is your child capable of reaching the level of false semblances of the brightest politician? It is more or less the theory developed by British researchers, who interviewed 902 parents of the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia, in their children aged a few weeks to 4 years.
We have all already laughed while observing little ones self-proclaiming princess, ninja or adventurer, and you may have already pretended to pilot a rocket. Nothing is more normal, explains the ScienceAlert media. This ability to simulate, developed particularly early, is actually a key element of our development.
“Role playing is a complex and evolving process that starts very early in life and which helps children develop their cognitive and social skills”explains Elena Hoicka, education psychologist at the University of Bristol (England). According to the study sample, from the age of four months, some children begin to pretend, while once the 13 -month course passed, more than half is able to recognize simulacra.
Feeding an activity then becomes more and more sophisticated as children grow up, distinguishing itself in three periods, details Eloïse Prouten, clinical psychologist at the University of Oxford (England). The first step concerns the body, like pretending to sleep. The second applies to gestures, such as imagining cooking a good meal for your doll. The third takes the form of substitution of objects: use a banana as a phone, for example.
Eighteen types of false semblants detected in young children
Then, around the age of 3, children are able to use their whole bodies to pretend to be their parents, critters or trees, sometimes even going so far as to create imaginary friends, with personality traits or a very specific appearance. “As their linguistic skills are also developing, this can help them pretend in a new way, which allows them to create elaborate stories”says Elena Hoicka.
In total, the team was able to identify eighteen types of pretenses in these young children. A completely stunning result, especially since it is the first known study to list the simulation behavior of birth at the age of 3 years. Nevertheless, according to this study, the ability to pretend can vary. For example, girls had higher scores than boys, as well as children whose parents were younger.
Admittedly, current observation studies still have certain limits, such as the reduced number of participants or the risk of tiring young children, who are then less inclined to pretend. But “If research continues, these results could be used as a diagnostic tool for development differences in the first years of life”according to Elena Hoicka. In addition, this allows you to better understand how to play with your children, at different stages of development.
