DEVELOPMENTAL-CHANGES IN PRESCHOOLERS ABILITY TO DISTINGUISH MEMORIESOF PERFORMED, PRETENDED, AND IMAGINED ACTIONS

The goals of the research presented in this article were to: a) examin e changes in preschoolers' ability to distinguish among memories of pe rformed, pretended, and imagined episodes, and b) use source monitorin g as a tool for inferring the nature of preschoolers' conceptualizatio ns of pretense. The participants, 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds, performed, pretended, and imagined performing actions. After a short delay, they identified the origin of their memories in a 3-alternative, forced-cho ice procedure. Results showed significant improvements between ages 3 and 4 in the ability to distinguish: a) performed actions from imagine d actions, and b) performed actions from pretended actions. However, 4 - and 5-year-olds confused memories of pretended and imagined actions. These results were replicated in a second experiment with 3- and 4-ye ar-olds, using a simpler 2-alternative, forced-choice format. The find ings suggest that, by age 4, children represent both pretense and imag ination in memory according to cognitive operation features associated with generating a fictional mental state. Thus, 4-year-olds may recog nize that constructing a mental, alternative reality is an important p art of pretense.