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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 24, 2026

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Published on: April 28, 2016

Preschoolers acquire general knowledge by sharing in pretense.

Shelbie L Sutherland¹, Ori Friedman

¹University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.

Child Development

|March 16, 2012

Summary

Children gain general knowledge through pretend play. This study shows that engaging in imaginative scenarios helps young children learn new facts about unfamiliar subjects.

Area of Science:

Cognitive Development
Child Psychology
Learning Sciences

Background:

Children acquire vast general knowledge, but the mechanisms are not fully understood.
Existing research has not fully explored the role of imaginative activities in knowledge acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of pretend play in children's acquisition of generic knowledge.
To identify pretend play as a significant, yet overlooked, learning mechanism for children.

Main Methods:

Experiment 1: 22 children (3–4 years old) observed a puppet acting as an unfamiliar animal ('nerp').
Experiment 2: 32 children (4–5 years old) learned from scenarios without pretend speech or sound effects.
Children were asked generic questions about the 'nerp' after the scenarios.

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Main Results:

Children in Experiment 1 demonstrated learning of generic facts about 'nerps' (e.g., 'nerps dislike carrots') after observing pretend scenarios.
The findings suggest that pretend play facilitates the acquisition of general knowledge about novel entities.
Learning occurred even in scenarios lacking explicit pretend speech or sound effects.

Conclusions:

Pretend play is a crucial, underappreciated method for children to acquire generic knowledge.
Imaginative engagement provides a pathway for children to learn abstract and generalizable information.
Future research should further explore the nuances of pretend play in early childhood learning.