ABSTRACT
Previous research has indicated that young children’s executive functions (EFs) can be bolstered through role-play [e.g. the ‘Batman™ effect’; White et al.]. However, what is not clear is whether it is the role-playing of another’s perspective, or something about the role played, which is responsible for the Batman™ effect. The current experiment investigated the effects of role-play of different roles (protagonist, villain, and sage) with different traits (benevolence, malevolence, skill) on 80 five- to six-year-old children’s EF performance. Results indicated significantly improved cold – but not hot – EF scores for the Sage and Control groups. Consistent with Vygotsky’s theory that children transfer imagined content into real-world applications, this study provides preliminary evidence that pretending to be someone with EF skills can bolster young children’s cold EF performance.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Additional information
Funding
Notes on contributors
Alexander Nikolaevich Veraksa
Alexander Nikolaevich Veraksa - Doctor of Psychology, PhD in Psychology, Professor, Head of Department of Pedagogical Psychology and Education, Faculty of Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vice-President of the Russian Psychological Society, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Education (Russia).
Margarita Nikolaevna Gavrilova
Margarita Nikolaevna Gavrilova - PhD Student, Department of Pedagogical Psychology and Education, Faculty of Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia).
Daria Аlexeevna Bukhalenkova
Daria Аlexeevna Bukhalenkova - PhD in Psychology, Researcher of Department of Pedagogical Psychology and Education, Faculty of Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia).
Olga Almazova
Olga Almazova - PhD in Psychology, Associate Professor of Department of Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia).
Nickolay Evgenievich Veraksa
Nickolay Evgenievich Veraksa - PhD in Psychology, Professor of Department of Pedagogical Psychology and Education, Faculty of Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leading Researcher, Institute of Childhood, Family and Childrearing, Russian Academy of Education; Leading Research Fellow, Moscow City University (Russia), Dr. H.C., Gothenburg University.
Yeshe Colliver
Yeshe Colliver - PhD in Psychology, Lecturer at the Department of Educational Studies, Macquarie University (Australia).