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Children's Social Reasoning
Some cognitive scientists study children in order to develop a better sense of how children perceive other people and how this might affect their interactions in the social world.
Historical Figures
How do children decide what is, and what is not, real?
Many children learn about people from books and stories--but how do they know if the character is real or fictional? This study looked at children’s developing understanding of the difference between pretend characters and historical figures.
Children, aged 4-7 years, were shown pictures of fictional and historical characters. If the image was familiar, children were asked to decide if the character is real or imaginary. Children were also shown some unfamiliar characters, and were told a short story about each of them.
We were interested in how children classify these unknown characters. Previous research indicated that younger children tend to believe everything in stories is make-believe, while older children differentiate between historical and fictional stories. We were interested in understanding the transition between these two stages.
We predicted that both age groups would be able to correctly classify the familiar historical figures as “real” and the familiar fictional figures as “imaginary.” We also anticipated that the older children will be able to differentiate between the unfamiliar historical and fictional characters, based on the language we use to introduce them (i.e.: the fairy princess vs. the British princess). However, we thought many younger children might believe that every character is fictional, regardless of the language used to introduce the character.
This research helped us better understand what clues children use to understand the nature of different kinds of stories.
Learn about other research related to Children's Social Reasoning.
This research is conducted by the Paul Harris Lab at Harvard University
Try it at the Museum
Real or Alive?
While visiting museums, children often have difficulty distinguishing between objects that are ‘alive’ versus those that are ‘real’, believing that if the object is no longer living, then it is not ‘real’. When children ask the question: “Is that real?” they may mean: “Is that alive?” – and this confusion may affect a child’s ability to learn.
Check out the Discovery Center’s animal pelts to find out what your child thinks about the real/alive distinction.
Can your child figure out what animals the pelts belong to? What kind of questions does your child ask about the pelts? Does your child think the pelts are “real” or “alive”?
Try it at Home
King Arthur: Fact or Fiction?
Find a storybook to read with your child that features a legendary character, such as King Arthur. Use the storybook to find clues about whether the character really did exist in the past.
What parts of the story does your child think could happen in real life? Which aspects of the story seem more like a fairytale to your child? Does your child think King Arthur was a real person? What does your child base his/her decision on?
The Living Laboratory initiative is made possible through support from the National Science Foundation.