Symbolic Play

The Development of Social Understanding

1st Edition - February 28, 1984
Editor: Inge Bretherton
Language: English
eBook ISBN:
9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 2 - 6 4 8 0 - 6

Symbolic Play: The Development of Social Understanding describes the development of symbolic play from infancy through the preschool years. This text is divided into 12 chapters… Read more

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Symbolic Play: The Development of Social Understanding describes the development of symbolic play from infancy through the preschool years. This text is divided into 12 chapters that focus on make-believe as an activity within which young children spontaneously represent and practice their understanding of the social world. The first chapter introduces the development of event schemata produced in symbolic play, about children's management of the playframe, and about the development of subjunctive, or "what if" thought. The next chapters are devoted to the development of joint pretending, specifically the use if shared scripts in the organization of make-believe play and the subtleties of metacommunication. These chapters also emphasize the supporting role of the mother in early collaborative make-believe. These topics are followed by discussions of the child's growing ability to represent the internal states of the inanimate figures whose doing can vicariously enacts. The remaining chapters focus on social interaction through symbolic play with dolls, toy animals, object props, and language. This book will prove useful to psychologists and researchers in the fields of human development, society, and family.

Contributors

Preface

I. Introduction

1. Representing the Social World in Symbolic Play: Reality and Fantasy

Introduction: Piaget and Event Representation

Event Representation in Symbolic Play

Map and Territory: Two Levels of Event Representation in Symbolic Play

The Representation of Subjunctive Events in Symbolic Play

Conclusions

References

II. Cooperative Symbolic Play

2. Playing with Scripts

Introduction

Study 1: The Long and the Short of Play

Study 2: Staging Play through Action and Dialogue Sequences

General Discussion

References

3. The Coordination of Meaning in the Creation of a Shared Make-Believe Reality

Introduction

Literature Review

Method

Findings

Conclusions

Appendix

References

4. Mother-Baby Role Phy: Its Origins in Social Support

Introduction

Procedures

General Description of Mothering Play

Content of Role Portrayal

Verbal Techniques of Role Portrayal

Pretend Motherese

Role Portrayal in Interaction

Discussion

References

5. I a Daddy: 2-Year-Olds’ Collaboration in Joint Pretend with Sibling and with Mother

Introduction

Method

Findings

Conclusions

Appendix 1

Appendix 2

References

6. Shared Pretend: Sociodramatic Play at 3 Years of Age

Definition and Developmental Issues

Conducting the Play Sessions

Results: Entry into Play

Results: Structural Properties of Early Sociodramatic Play

Conclusions

References

III. Symbolic Play with Toys and Words

7. Agency and Experience: Actions and States in Play Narratives

Introduction

Background and Design of the Study

Longitudinal Findings

Toward a Developmental Model for Understanding Others

Individual Differences in the Use of Social Knowledge

Conclusions

References

8. Waiting for the Birth of a Sibling: The Verbal Fantasies of a 2-Year-Old Boy

Introduction

Analysis of the Data

Final Remarks

References

9. Developmental Trends for Action and Speech in Pretend Play

Introduction

Method

Results

Discussion

References

10. The Effect of Contextual Variation on Symbolic Play: Development from 20 to 28 Months

Introduction

Method

Results

Discussion

Appendix

References

11. Conceptual Organization in the Play of Preschool Children: Effects of Meaning, Context, and Mother-Child Interaction

Introduction: Theoretical Considerations

An Experiment Investigating Conceptual Skills in Preschool Children: Methodological Considerations

Conclusion

References

12. Toddlers’ Play, Alone and With Mother: The Role of Maternal Guidance

Introduction

Method

Results

Discussion

References

Index