Fantastical pretense's effects on executive function in a diverse sample of preschoolers

Growing evidence supports pretense as a positive predictor of executive function (EF) in early childhood. However, there is a need for well controlled, experimental studies examining the effects of various styles of pretense on EF development in diverse populations. The present study included 179 pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of applied developmental psychology Vol. 68; pp. 101137 - 10
Main Authors Thibodeau-Nielsen, Rachel B., Gilpin, Ansley T., Nancarrow, Alexandra F., Pierucci, Jillian M., Brown, Melissa M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Norwood Elsevier Inc 01.05.2020
Elsevier Science Ltd
Subjects
Childhood
Cognitive development
Developmental psychology
Executive function
Head Start project
Intervention
Low income groups
Middle class
Preschool children
Pretend play
Pretense
Intervention
Executive function
Cognitive development
Pretense
Pretend play
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Summary:Growing evidence supports pretense as a positive predictor of executive function (EF) in early childhood. However, there is a need for well controlled, experimental studies examining the effects of various styles of pretense on EF development in diverse populations. The present study included 179 preschoolers (ages 2–5; 38% low-income, in Head Start), randomly assigned to one of four conditions: Fantastical Pretense, Realistic Pretense, Non-Imaginative Play, or Business-as-Usual Control, with no pre-test group differences. After 5 weeks of daily intervention, data suggest that fantastical pretense, but not other styles of pretense/play, facilitates EF development among non-Head Start, middle-class children. Head Start children did not benefit, perhaps due to lower levels of engagement as well as lower initial EF levels and propensities towards pretense. These data highlight the value of engaging in fantastical pretend play among middle-class populations and emphasize the need to further investigate the role of pretense in at-risk samples. •Children in a fantastical pretense intervention showed improved executive function.•Other styles of pretense/play did not facilitate executive function skills.•Effects of fantastical pretense were only significant for middle-class children.•Intervention did not produce any changes among low-income children.
ISSN:0193-3973
1873-7900
DOI:10.1016/j.appdev.2020.101137