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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 8, 2026

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children

Published on: March 1, 2019

Fun isn't easy: Children selectively manipulate task difficulty when "playing for fun" versus "playing to win".

Junyi Chu¹, Joshua S Rule², Mariel K Goddu¹

¹Department of Psychology, Harvard University.

Developmental Psychology

|December 11, 2025

Summary

Children adapt their play strategies based on motivation. Playing to win leads to easier game settings for "win-relevant" variables, while "win-irrelevant" variables remain consistent, suggesting distinct play motivations.

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Area of Science:

Developmental Psychology
Behavioral Science

Background:

Play is a universal behavior across species and cultures.
The fundamental motivations driving play remain incompletely understood.
Understanding children's perceptions of play rewards is crucial for developmental research.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate children's perceptions of rewarding elements in play.
To compare motivations in internally (fun) versus externally (winning) driven play contexts.
To examine how children adapt game strategies based on different motivational goals.

Main Methods:

Two preregistered experiments involving 124 children aged 5–10 years.
Utilized a novel game design task assessing children's configuration choices.
Compared game settings under conditions of 'playing for fun' versus 'playing to win'.

Main Results:

Children selected easier settings for 'win-relevant' variables when playing to win compared to playing for fun.
Settings for 'win-irrelevant' variables showed minimal change across motivational contexts.
Children identified 'win-relevant' variables as key to winning but not to fun.

Conclusions:

Playing for fun and playing to win represent distinct motivational states for children.
Children demonstrate adaptive decision-making in play based on prevailing motivational contexts.
Findings illuminate the cognitive mechanisms underlying children's engagement in play.