Agent Perception in Children with and Without Imaginary Companions |
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| Authors: | Yusuke Moriguchi Ikuko Shinohara Mikako Ishibashi |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of School Education, Joetsu University of Education, Joetsu, Japan;2. Japan Science and Technology Agency, PRESTO programme, Kawaguchi‐shi, Japan;3. National Institute for Educational Policy Research, Chiyoda‐ku, Japan;4. Department of Psychology, Ochanomizu University, Bunkyo‐ku, Tokyo, Japan |
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| Abstract: | This study examined whether children with and without imaginary companions differed in their attributions of agency to inanimate objects. In Study 1, preschool children were shown animation movies in which two geometric figures moved with systematic interaction or randomly. Then, children were asked about biological, emotional and cognitive properties of the figures. The results revealed that children with imaginary companions were more likely to attribute biological properties to the geometric figures that moved randomly compared to children without imaginary companions, but children with and without imaginary companions did not differ in their attributions of cognitive and emotional properties. In Study 2, children were asked about the biological, psychological and perceptual properties of a puppet and a human. Results showed that children with and without imaginary companions did not show the differences in the biological and psychological attributions. Results are discussed in terms of children's agent perception systems. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
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| Keywords: | imaginary companion agency agent perception preschool children |
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