Article
The relationship between temperament and pretense in young preschoolers
Imagination, Cognition, and Personality
(2014)
Abstract
Many social and social-cognitive factors, including relationship quality and understanding of minds, are known to influence the amount and quality of children’s early pretend play, but it is not known whether personality plays a role in pretense development. This study explored the relationship between temperament and pretense ability in young preschoolers. Children’s (N = 41) temperament and pretense was assessed near their 3rd birthdays using both parent report and laboratory behavioral measures. Approximately 50% of the participants were reassessed on all measures within a year. Results indicate that early high negative affect was associated with higher quality pretend play at Time 2, but early self-regulatory abilities were not related to later pretense. However, early pretense was positively related to later self-regulation. Implications of these findings, including the possibility that pretense is a coping mechanism and that pretense helps facilitate self-regulation, are discussed.
Disciplines
Publication Date
2014
DOI
10.2190/IC.33.4.e
Citation Information
Jennifer Van Reet. "The relationship between temperament and pretense in young preschoolers" Imagination, Cognition, and Personality Vol. 33 Iss. 4 (2014) p. 383 - 401 ISSN: 0276-2366 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/jennifer-vanreet/8/