Examination of the Effect of Picture-book Reading on Crime Prevention

Abstract

Understanding how to enhance children's danger perception is one of the most important challenges in developmental psychology. Although the effect of picture-book reading on children's language and social cognitive development has been investigated extensively, it remains unclear whether picture-book reading has an effect within the context of crime prevention. We examined if picture-book reading would improve the ability to recognize dangerous situations in 4- to 6-year-old children. We also explored the relationship between tendencies to feel empathy for others and learning effectiveness of picture-book reading. In the study, children were asked what to do when addressed by a stranger and the reasons behind it, both before and after the picture-book reading session. The children proposed more appropriate danger-avoidance behaviors and plausible reasons after the picture-book reading session, and this facilitation effect was greater in older children. Children with higher empathy tended to benefit more from picture-book reading. The developmental changes in the effect of picture-book reading on danger perception and the practical applications of the results are discussed.