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Preschoolers Acquire General Knowledge by Sharing in Pretense
Author(s) -
Sutherland Shelbie L,
Friedman Ori
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2012.01748.x
Subject(s) - psychology , cognitive psychology , knowledge level , developmental psychology , communication , cognitive science , mathematics education
Children acquire general knowledge about many kinds of things, but there are few known means by which this knowledge is acquired. In this article, it is proposed that children acquire generic knowledge by sharing in pretend play. In Experiment 1, twenty‐two 3‐ to 4‐year‐olds watched pretense in which a puppet represented a “nerp” (an unfamiliar kind of animal). For instance, in one scenario, the nerp ate and disliked a carrot. When subsequently asked generic questions about real nerps, children’s responses suggested that they had learned general facts (e.g., nerps dislike carrots). In Experiment 2, thirty‐two 4‐ to 5‐year‐olds learned from scenarios lacking pretend speech or sound effects. The findings reveal a long overlooked means by which children can acquire generic knowledge.