ORCID
- Patricia Kanngiesser: 0000-0003-1068-3725
Abstract
Interactions with peers are fundamental to socio‐cognitive development, but assessing peer interactions in standardized experiments is challenging. Therefore, researchers commonly utilize puppetry to simulate peers. This Registered Report investigated urban German children's (Age Range> = 3.5–4.5 years; N = 144; 76♀) mind ascriptions and social cognition to test whether they treat puppets like peers, adults, or neither. Children attributed less mind properties to puppets than peers or adults. However, children's social cognition (i.e., normativity, prosociality, and theory of mind) varied little across partners. Puppetry relies on children's ability for pretense, but can provide valid insights into socio‐cognitive development. Implications for using puppets as stand‐ins for peers in developmental research are discussed.
DOI Link
Publication Date
2023-09-05
Publication Title
Child Development
Volume
94
Issue
5
ISSN
0009-3920
Acceptance Date
2022-11-29
Deposit Date
2023-05-24
Embargo Period
2023-05-25
Funding
This research was funded by the Max Planck Society. Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
First Page
1117
Last Page
1135
Recommended Citation
Stengelin, R., Haun, D., & Kanngiesser, P. (2023) 'Simulating peers: Can puppets simulate peer interactions in studies on children's socio‐cognitive development?', Child Development, 94(5), pp. 1117-1135. Available at: 10.1111/cdev.13913
