PSYC2030 Lecture 5: Lecture 5: Pretend Play and Theory of Mind
Machluf & Bjorklund, 2015
"… the origins of humans' social nature and cognition are found in infancy and childhood,
placing social cognitive development at centre stage in understanding the evolution of the
human mind"
How do we have fun? PLAY!
Einstein said that creativity is intelligence having fun
Preyer, 1893
"… a man does not learn through any kind of instruction or study in later life anything like so
much as the child learns in the first four years of his careless existence, through the
perceptions and ideas acquired in his play"
Typically exaggerated
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Seems less serious○
May have components arranged in unusual sequences○
Means more important than ends○
Behaviour with some resemblance to functional behaviour but
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Purposelessness!
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How would you define play?
Playful actions where actions are performed and objects are used for the sake of
playing, yet without any non-literal elements
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Functional play
Non-literal use of objects and/or actions
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A pretender1.
A reality2.
A mental representation3.
That is projected onto reality4.
With awareness5.
And intention6.
Lillard's 6 defining features:
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Pretend play
5 Pretend Play, Theory of Mind, and Autism
Monday, 12 March 2018 3:46 PM
Lecture Notes Page 1
Children aged 4-5 years
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Adult models to Child 1, Child 1 to 2, Child 2 to 3
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Both encompassing connected and disconnected actions
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Both including appropriate vocalisations○
Two conditions - functional and playful
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Nielsen et al., 2012
C
Shows higher levels of creativity than children who do not have imaginary
companions
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Children with imaginary companions show a strong inclination toward engaging in fantasy
themed play
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Adults who recall having an imaginary companion as a child have also been shown to
outperform those who do not on a variety of creativity indices
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Creativity?
Play and pretending are ubiquitous aspects of human behaviour-
Pretending likely emerges from imitation-based social interactions
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Provides an environment in which to explore the novel behaviours of others and to
generate one's own new behaviours
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A wrap
Lecture Notes Page 2
