The understanding of pretence across the second year of life

Toddlers’ ability to understand pretend transformations was assessed. Children at 15‐, 18‐ and 24‐months of age participated in six pretend episodes in which either a single or a double pretend transformation was enacted by an experimenter. In the single transformation form of episodes, only one of two props was altered. In the double transformation form, both props were transformed, but then one was returned to its original state. The episodes involved three types of physical change: empty‐to‐full, dry‐to‐wet, and clean‐to‐dirty. After each episode, children made a pretend response to one of the two props. The 15‐month‐olds performed significantly below chance for both forms of episode: in some cases, they tended to imitate the pretend transformations of the experimenter. The 18‐month‐old infants tended to either imitate or make an accurate selection of prop. The 24‐month‐old toddlers’ pretend responses and vocalizations demonstrated that they understood both forms of the episodes. They usually made correct responses, showing that they kept track of the stipulated pretend transformations. Age trends found in these data are discussed with respect to young toddler's emerging skills in participating in collaborative pretend play.