Search results
Aug 24, 2016 · Over the last two decades, researchers have gathered diverse and nuanced profiles of children who create imaginary friends. In this first episode of Science Friday’s “The Real Guide to Imaginary Companions,” developmental psychologists Margery Taylor and Tracy Gleason describe how scientists study this playful phenomenon. TRANSCRIPT.
Sep 19, 2016 · For children, the line between reality and fantasy can sometimes become blurred, especially when it comes to imaginary friends. In this second episode of Science Friday’s series “The Real Guide to Imaginary Companions,” developmental psychologist Jacqueline Woolley takes us into the lab to investigate whether a child’s orientation ...
- Style
- Personal
- Early career
- Publication
- Epidemiology
- Controversy
- Research
- Quotes
Elfi Welfi is one of the most memorable pretend friends whom Taylor has come across in her research. It was pretty elaborate and structured, she recalls. Imaginary companions and the worlds they live in can get really detailed.
Her daughter, Amber, first piqued Taylors curiosity in the idea of imaginary companions. When Amber was 3 years old, she started talking about a boy named Michael Rose. Taylor had assumed he was a kid at Ambers daycare, but none of Ambers teachers had heard of a Michael Rose. When her daughter later mentioned that he had a barn full of giraffes, Ta...
Taylor started professionally studying imaginary companions in the late 1980s, after attending a lecture by Harvard University psychologist Paul Harris. He discussed a study in which he had presented an empty box to children and asked them to imagine that there was a monster inside. Even though they had seen that the box was empty, some of the kids...
In 1999, Taylor published a seminal book, Imaginary Companions and the Children Who Create Them. The work compiles everything scientists had learned about childhood imagination up to that point (and features the story of Amber and Michael Rose). It also details Taylors methodology in assessing imagination, as well as her meticulous interview proces...
Imaginary companions are much more common than people might think. Up to two-thirds of children have them, typically between the ages of 3 and 8 (although there are accounts of teenagers who retain them from childhood or who first develop them as teens).
Historically, many researchers and parents thought that imaginary companions were harmful or evil, and were a sign of a social deficit, demonic possession, or mental illness. For instance, at the University of Alabamas Knowledge in Development (KID) Lab, lead psychologist Ansley Gilpin recently heard of a case where a parent thought her daughter mi...
Over the course of her research, Taylor has noticed that children who had imaginary friends as preschoolers sometimes move on to developing an entire imaginary world, or paracosm. These worlds are typically elaborate, entailing their own geography, transportation systems, governments, and holidays. In a study published last June in the Creativity R...
Despite how focused children might be on their imaginary friends, as they get older, many tend to forget that they even had one. It can happen within two years of outgrowing the companion. [These friends] seem so special at the time, but we find that when you interview children later on, theyve moved on, Taylor says. Often, its the parents who are ...
- 8 min
Oct 16, 2021 · An imaginary friend indicates how a child's mind merges sensations and real perceptions with imaginings, desires, anticipations, and fables. Some adults experience a similar phenomenon....
- Michael Jawer
May 14, 2024 · It can be confusing and even worrying when your children have imaginary friends, but there’s often no need to worry too much. This guide will cover all you need to know about imaginary friends, including why they appear and when you may need to be concerned.
Apr 12, 2024 · What are imaginary friends? To your child, their imaginary friend is a connection they get to make with someone special, available to talk or play whenever they want, and that speaks their language by holding similar interests. A child’s bond with their imaginary companion can be as strong as it is with a living and breathing person next to them.
People also ask
What is a child's imaginary friend?
Are imaginary friends make-believe?
Do kids have imaginary friends?
What happens if a child has an imaginary friend?
It is valuable to understand imaginary friends because they can be a great way to learn about your child and engage with them in play. Acknowledging their imaginary friend can be a productive way to encourage your child’s play and promote their learning, creativity, and well-being.
