ARE INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES IN FANTASY PLAY RELATED TO PEER ACCEPTANCELEVELS

Individual differences in fantasy play, as they relate to cognitive co mpetence and peer acceptance, were examined in a sample of 66 children between the ages of 4 and 8 years. Each child's free-play behaviors w ere videotaped and then coded for frequency of fantasy play and nonfan tasy play, as well as for the unreality level and unfamiliarity level of the fantasy play. Solitary play was rarely observed; therefore all play measures that were coded were social (i.e., play involving at lea st one partner). Cognitive competence measures included self-ratings a nd teacher ratings of academic skills. Peer acceptance measures includ ed self-ratings and teacher ratings of friendships and social activiti es. Results showed that high-fantasy players had higher self-ratings o f peer acceptance than did average-fantasy players. High-fantasy playe rs, however, had lower teacher ratings of peer acceptance than did ave rage-fantasy players. These differential relations could be related to an inability on the part of high-fantasy players to distinguish imagi ned popularity from actual peer acceptance levels. Future research is recommended to provide more detailed characterizations of individual d ifferences in fantasy play and how they relate to outcomes in the soci al, cognitive, and affective domains.