Child Development - Lecture Eight Flashcards
Imaginary Friends and Attachment Objects
Imaginary companions
An invisible character named and referred to in conversation with other persons or played with directly for a period of time, at least several months, having an air of reality for the child, but no apparently objective basis
How man children have imaginary companions??
Up to 65% of preschool children have one or more
Are imaginary companions more popular in boys or girls?
Tend to be slightly more common in girls than in boys
What is the average age for appearance of imaginary companions
Between 2 and 4 years
Which sibling is most likely to have imaginary companions?
First born and only children
Imaginary companions and real friends
Most children do not play with their imaginary friends when other children are present
Little was known about imaginary companions prior to the 20th century
Childhood was not seen as a period of play and exploration so imaginary companions may have been described in spiritual or religious terms
Imaginary companions 1930’s
Parents were informed that imaginary companions were not to be encouraged
Dr Spock on imaginary companions
Urged parents to supply more hugging and piggy-back rides to avoid imaginary companions, however, if children still had imaginary companions by 4 then to seek mental health help
Majorie Taylor on imaginary companions
Taylor examined imaginary companions of children between 3 and 12 years-old
Around 16% of imaginary companions were based on real people
Many imaginary companions have magical powers or unusual physical traits
Around 3% of imaginary companions are enemies
Why do children develop imaginary companions?
Act as scapegoats
Help children overcome fears or anxieties
Intermediate steps to controlling own behaviour
Developed as a surrogate for real friends/playmates/siblings
The problem of parental report
Not generally a reliable source of information as parents don’t know the details
Large discrepancies found between parent and child accounts of imaginary companions
Manosevitz et al (1973) on social and cognitive ability of children with imaginary companions
Are better at communicating with adults
Taylor (1999) on social and cognitive ability of children with imaginary companions
Score more highly on verbal tests
Taylor & Carlson (1997) on social and cognitive ability of children with imaginary companions
Have a more developed theory of mind at age 4
There are no firmly established links between the presence of imaginary companions with
IQ and creativity
Imaginary companions and reality differentiation
Sometimes it is assumed that a child who is absorbed in a fantasy about an imaginary companion is out of touch with reality – that somehow the line has become blurred
Evidence for imaginary companions and reality differentiation
Boudin & Pratt (2001)
Evidence against imaginary companions and reality differentiation
Taylor, Cartwright, & Carlson (1993)
What happens to imaginary companions
Not spoken about Replaced by a new imaginary companions Child acquires more real friends and lose interest Parents take control Gradually vanish
Attachment objects
Young children may develop attachments to a variety of special inanimate objects, including soft toys and blankets. These are often referred to as attachment objects
Mahalski (1983) on attachment objects
Assessed between 1.5 (90%) and 7 (43%), object attachment was shown to peak at around 2-years-old
Why so children develop attachments to objects?
Act as transitional objects
Eases the passage between sleep and waking
Substitutes for primary caregiver
Advantages for attachment objects
Reduce distress
Facilitate exploration
