Development and Validation of the Retrospective Childhood Fantasy Play Scale

Abstract

The current article describes the development and initial psychometric properties of the Retrospective Childhood Fantasy Play Scale (RCFPS), a brief 11 item retrospective self-report measure of preference for, and engagement with, fantasy play during childhood. Five studies were conducted to: (1) develop the initial items for the scale (n=77), (2) determine the underlying factor structure (n =200), (3) test the fit of the model (n =530), and (4) & (5) ascertain construct validity (n =200) and (n =263). Overall, the results suggest that the RCFPS is a uni-dimensional measure with acceptable fit and preliminary validity. The RCFPS may prove useful in educational and developmental research as an alternative to longitudinal studies to further investigate how childhood fantasy play relates to individual differences in adulthood (e.g., in the areas of creativity, theory of mind and narrative skills).

Empirical research on fantasy proneness and its correlates 2000–2018: A meta-analysis.

“…Some of these new measures are much broader than the CEQ or ICMI because they cover the entire range of fantasy engagement, including its beneficial effects on, for example, problem solving, creativity, and recreational activities (e.g., the Imaginative Involvement Scale; Naylor & Simonds, 2015; the Fantasy Engagement Scale, Plante et al, 2017; the Fantasy Questionnaire, Weibel et al, 2018). Others are narrower than the ICMI or CEQ in that they focus on specific aspects of fantasy proneness, such as imaginary companions and pretend play during childhood (e.g., the Retrospective Childhood Fantasy Play Scale; Kirkham et al, 2019). However, as these scales are fairly recent, researchers have not yet employed them on a wide scale, and little is known about how they relate to other indices (e.g., measures of schizotypy or dissociation).…”

Development of a Prototype-Based Scale for Assessing Saudade

“…For example, in the domain of therapy, next research might shed light on the effect of saudade on the subjective well-being among lonely people. Researches examining the relationships between saudade and connectedness, inspiration, fantasy (Kirkham et al, 2019), and creativity (Geher et al, 2017) are currently ongoing.…”

Childhood fantasy play relates to adult socio‐emotional competence

“…The Retrospective Childhood Fantasy Play Scale (Kirkham et al, 2019) is a self-report scale consisting of 11 items, examining participants' engagement and preference towards FP as a child. Participants indicated their agreement with statements on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from (1) strongly disagree to (5) strongly agree.…”