Tots separate fact, fiction early
November 17, 2006Children may be savvier at a younger age when separating fact from fiction than their parents think, a University of Texas study said.
Children typically learn to separate what's real from what's pretend between the ages of 3 year and 5 years, the research said.
"These studies provide new insight into the development of children's ability to make the fantasy-reality distinction," Jacqueline Woolley, professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, said in a news release.
Woolley's team studied children ages 3 to 6 years by reading stories that were either imaginary or fact-based, then asking about whether words represented something real or something pretend.
As expected, younger subjects were the most likely to think all words were real, while older ones could distinguish real from fiction, researchers said.
But researchers learned something else -- differentiating between real and fantasy may be contextual as well as age-related. After hearing a factual story, the children expected more "real" words, not a mix of facts and fantasy, researchers said. After hearing imaginative stories, the children may have thought that some words in the word test were from an imaginary place.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
-
Gamers on 3-D mission to save world, just don't tell them they are learning cell biology
Feb 03, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Can you say that on TV? The Supreme Court debates
Jan 10, 2012 |
not rated yet |
4
-
High-tech devices leave users vulnerable to spies
Jan 05, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
-
Discovering Autism: An unsettling boom
Dec 19, 2011 |
not rated yet |
1
-
Discovering Autism: Services go to those who fight hardest
Dec 19, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Engineers build first sub-10-nm carbon nanotube transistor
Feb 01, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (31) |
30
-
Something old, something new: Evolution and the structural divergence of duplicate genes
Jan 31, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
1
-
The hidden nanoworld of ice crystals: Revealing the dynamic behavior of quasi-liquid layers
Jan 30, 2012 |
5 / 5 (3) |
1
-
Stock market network reveals investor clustering
Jan 27, 2012 |
3.9 / 5 (23) |
8
-
Of microchemistry and molecules: Electronic microfluidic device synthesizes biocompatible probes
Jan 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
-
Is Everyday Technology Killing Us?
Feb 08, 2012
-
Exercise and weight loss
Feb 08, 2012
-
Why do we have head aches? Our brains can't feel anything.
Feb 07, 2012
-
"The end of diseases" by David Agus, interview from Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Feb 04, 2012
-
Oncolytic adenovirus
Feb 04, 2012
-
Nutrition label stuffs and diets
Feb 02, 2012
- More from Physics Forums - Medical Sciences
More news stories
Study finds that anti-diabetic medication can prevent the long-term effects of maternal obesity
In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that show that short therapy with the anti-diabetic medication ...
13 hours ago |
5 / 5 (1) |
1
Steroid injections prove effective in treatment of lumbar disc herniations
The use of epidural steroid injections may be a more efficient treatment option for lumbar disc herniations, according to research presented today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Specialty Day in ...
13 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Amateur football players not always keen on returning to play after ACL injuries
Despite the known success rates of reconstructive Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) surgery, the number of high school and collegiate football players returning to play may not be as high as anticipated, say researchers presenting ...
13 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Study finds elevated levels of cell-free DNA in first trimester do not predict preeclampsia
In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that indicate that elevated levels of cell-free DNA in ...
13 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
PRP treatment aids healing of elbow injuries say researchers
As elbow injuries continue to rise, especially in pitchers, procedures to help treat and get players back in the game quickly have been difficult to come by. However, a newer treatment called platelet rich plasma (PRP) may ...
13 hours ago |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
Walney offshore wind farm is world's biggest (for now)
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Walney wind farm on the Irish Sea--characterized by high tides, waves and windy weather--officially opened this week. The farm is treated in the press as a very big deal as the Walney ...
GPS court ruling leaves US phone tracking unclear
A US Supreme Court decision requiring a warrant to place a GPS device on the car of a criminal suspect leaves unresolved the bigger issue of police tracking using mobile phones, legal experts say.
Europeans protest controversial Internet pact
Tens of thousands of people marched in protests in more than a dozen European cities Saturday against a controversial anti-online piracy pact that critics say could curtail Internet freedom.
Europe stakes billion-dollar bet on new rocket
A pencil-slim rocket is scheduled to lift into space from South America on Monday, carrying a billion-dollar bet that Europe can grab a juicy slice of the market to place satellites in low orbit.
Netflix settlement trims 14 pct off 4Q earnings
(AP) -- Netflix pressed the rewind button on its fourth-quarter earnings after settling allegations that the video subscription service violated a consumer-privacy law.
Elbow position not a predictor of injury
Elbow position alone appeared to not affect injury rates and performance in college-level, male pitchers say researchers presenting at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Specialty Day in San Francisco, ...