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Real or Fantastical? The Effect of Fantasy Orientation and Event Types on Children’s Reality Judgments
Received date: 2022-09-04
Online published: 2023-11-10
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Young children’s ability to accurately distinguish between improbable events and impossible events is important for individual cognitive development. To explore the effect of fantasy orientation and event types on young children’s reality judgments, a mixed experimental design of 2 (age group: 5-year-olds, 6-year-olds)×2 (fantasy orientation: high fantasy orientation, low fantasy orientation)×3 (event type: ordinary event, improbable event, impossible event) was used in this study. Results showed that: 6-year-olds were better at judging the reality of all three types of events than were 5-year-olds; children were better at judging the reality of ordinary and impossible events as compared to improbable events; children with low fantasy orientation performed better at judging the reality of events than those with high fantasy orientation; and children used more factual and hypothetical justifications when explaining ordinary events, and more redundant justifications when explaining impossible events. This study revealed that 5- and 6-year-old children have difficulty in judging the reality of improbable events, and older children and children with low fantasy orientation are better at judging the reality of events.
Hui LI , Haoxue YU , Jiaqi WU . Real or Fantastical? The Effect of Fantasy Orientation and Event Types on Children’s Reality Judgments[J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2023 , 21(5) : 614 -620 . DOI: 10.12139/j.1672-0628.2023.05.006
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