単独のふりシグナルは幼児のふりの理解を促すか

―ふり場面と現実場面との比較から―

抄録

Pretend play is essential for young children's development. When young children are presented with pretense signals by adults, they are able to understand the pretense underlying the situation and can distinguish pretense from reality. Previous studies have discussed multiple pretense signals such as smiles and utterances but have not examined whether a single pretense signal promotes children's understanding of pretense. Therefore, the present study investigated whether a single pretend signal is effective in helping children understand pretend play by manipulating three types of pretense signals: smiling, utterance, and smiling plus utterance. Thirty children (ages 2.5 to 3 years) were exposed to two experimental situations: pretending to eat and actually eating food. The results showed that the pretend signals of smiling and smiling plus utterance were ineffective in promoting pretense because they can be used in an actual eating scenario. On the other hand, we demonstrated that even a single pretend signal of utterance effectively promoted young children's understanding of pretenses.