Theory of Mind and Children’s Engagement in Fantasy Worlds

Abstract

We examined the relationship between theory of mind (ToM) and engaging in fantasy worlds in a short-term longitudinal study. Engagement in fantasy worlds might advance ToM because engaging in alternative worlds is similar to imagining the world from others’ viewpoints. Fantasy might also be related to preference for describing others’ mental states. To test these theories, we examined relationships between preschoolers’ fantasy orientation, ToM, and preference for mentalistic descriptions. ToM and preference for mentalistic descriptions were measured at two time points, 7 months apart, allowing examination of change over time. None of the fantasy measures were related to preference for mentalistic descriptions, but three fantasy measures (child’s Fantasy Orientation Interview, parent-reported preference for fantasy media and games, and parent-reported belief in event-related fantasy entities) predicted improvement on ToM over the time period examined. Two of these three did not predict ToM concurrently, highlighting the importance of developmental study.