For the first time, a team of Cardiff University researchers used neuroscience to investigate the positive impact doll play has on children, uncovering new evidence that doll play activates brain regions that allow children to develop empathy and social information processing skills even when playing alone.
Over the last 18 months, senior lecturer Dr. Sarah Gerson and colleagues at Cardiff University's Centre for Human Developmental Science have used an emerging neuroimaging technology, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), which allows brain activity to be scanned while the subject is freely moving around, to provide the first indications of the Emotions Peg Dolls at a brain level.
While traditional gender stereotypes imply that dolls are primarily a toy for females, playing with dolls can provide vital developmental opportunities for children of both genders.
Children encounter new and distinct conditions for their games while playing with dolls and their pals. Communicating with one another can help to expand their vocabulary by filling it with useful language. Children acquire insight into family routines that may differ from their own by talking in this manner with their friends. They learn about the world around them in this way.
One of the more well-known and explored types of play is "pretend play" (also known as symbolic play or fantasy play), in which children distort reality to behave in a nonliteral, "as if" way (Fein, 1981). The inclusion of toys and dolls, which enhance children's pretend play, is a prevalent feature of their play (Singer and Singer, 1990). Pretend play was initially thought to emerge around the age of two and then wane between the ages of four and seven (Piaget, 1962). However, it is becoming increasingly clear that play, and particularly pretend-play, persists beyond this age (e.g., Singer and Singer, 2005; Lillard, 2014).
While the children were working on the exercise, parents were asked to fill out a brief questionnaire on their child's experience with tablets and dolls. Parents indicated whether or not their children used tablet devices and dolls at home, school, or daycare. They were asked open-ended questions on how frequently their child played with the toys, whether they played independently or socially, and what types of toys (tablet games and dolls) their child played with at home. They were asked to score their child's enjoyment of each style of play on a Likert scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 5. (very much).
This is the first study to look at the brain correlates of play in young children. We discovered that when children play with a social partner, the pSTS, a brain region linked with social processing and empathy, is active, regardless of whether the play is with dolls or a tablet. Surprisingly, when playing alone, this region is more engaged during doll play than during tablet activity. This reinforces behavioural evidence showing pretend play promotes social processing and empathic thinking (Dunn and Cutting, 1999; Brown et al., 2017) and raises fresh questions about the advantages of solo vs. communal play.
To ensure consistency of experience, the benefits of doll play utilised included a varied selection of Barbie dolls and play sets, with all Barbie dolls and sets returned to beginning positions before each child began their test. To create a similar play experience to doll play, tablet play was carried out utilising apps that allow children to engage in open and creative play (rather than rule or goal-based activities).
A doll is a miniature version of a child that helps children better comprehend the lives of babies and prepare for being in the presence of newborns. This is a type of rehearsal that prepares a youngster for the arrival of a sibling. Doll play also allows children to act out their own interactions with family and friends, which helps them better grasp events. A youngster can also try to be on the opposing side of a conflict or incident when playing with dolls, which is a good experience for both females and boys.
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