Imagining the outcome of pretend transformations: Assessing the competence of normal children and children with autism.

Abstract

Children's grasp of make-believe transformations was studied. In Experiment 1, children saw an adult enact a pretend change (e.g., sprinkling pretend talcum powder over a toy cat). They indicated the pretend outcome by choosing between a picture depicting no change (e.g., cat without talcum powder on its body) and a picture depicting the pretend change (e.g., cat covered with talcum powder). Older children (M = 29 months) chose correctly, but younger children (M = 21 months) did not. A similar age change emerged in Experiment 2 despite the addition of a picture of an irrelevant transformation. Experiment 3 showed that children with autism can imagine pretend transformations. Implications for children's imagination and the autistic syndrome are discussed.

Impaired Competence for Pretense in Children with Autism: Exploring Potential Cognitive Predictors

“…This is consistent with findings reported by Rutherford et al (2007) but inconsistent with earlier reports of intact comprehension (Jarrold et al, 1994b;Kavanaugh & Harris, 1994). However, in both of these earlier studies the children watched the experimenter pour an imaginary substance (e.g.…”

“…Additionally, children with autism were found to have no difficulty comprehending the pretend play of another person (Jarrold et al, 1994b;Kavanaugh & Harris, 1994). These findings seriously challenged the impaired mentalising explanation of lack of pretense, which entails a competence deficit.…”

A Defence of Semantic Pretence Hermeneutic Fictionalism Against the Autism Objection

“…The results showed that children with autism performed as well as the controls. Robert D. Kavanaugh and Paul L. Harris [1994] conducted a similar experiment, in which an experimenter enacted the pretend transformations such as pretending to pour tea over a target toy animal or over a toy truck. Children with autism were asked to point to the picture which shows the consequence of these pretend transformations.…”

Human figure drawings by children in hospital and mainstream schools

“…In this respect the Goodenough Draw-A-Man Test (Goodenough 1926, Harris, 1963, originally considered as a measure of intellectual ability, has also been the subject of extensive research (Kavanaugh & Harris, 1994 ). The draw a man or woman test requires children of different ages to draw a picture of a man, a woman, or themselves.…”