Abstract
Participation in social pretend play has been regarded as a relatively sophisticated form of pretend play, because it requires the sustained understanding of other people's fantasy framework. The present study investigated whether older siblings changed their behaviors during pretense play and consequently encouraged toddlers to engage in collaborative pretend play, with a sample of 26 pairs of older siblings (M＝5;5) and toddlers (M＝1;11). Older siblings smiled longer, gazed at the toddlers longer, used sound effects more frequently, and engaged in more frequent snack-related actions in a “pretense condition” than in a “real condition.” In addition, sequential analysis revealed that toddlers were significantly more likely to engage in pretense following the specific pattern of older siblings' behavior, as a form of social referencing. These research findings are discussed in relation to what Rogoff (2003) called “guided participation.”
