Publicado
2020-07-01

Amigos imaginarios y la comprensión de las emociones aparentes en niños con edades entre los 3 y 6 años

Imaginary Friends and Understanding of Apparent Emotions in Children Between 3 to 6 Years Old

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15332/22563067.6294
Jaqueline Benavides Delgado https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8889-4317

Resumen (es)

La presente investigación tuvo como objetivo establecer si existían diferencias en tres grupos de niños (N = 43, edades entre 3 y 6 años) respecto a la comprensión de las emociones aparentes y la popularidad entre su grupo de compañeros de clase. Los niños fueron clasificados en los siguientes grupos; niños con AI (Amigos Imaginarios, n = 13), niños con OP (Objetos Personificados, n = 15) y niños que no presentaron ninguna de las anteriores formas de imaginación infantil (n = 15). Se utilizaron historias basadas en Harris, et al., (1986), en donde se ejemplificaban emociones aparentes positivas en terceros y emociones aparentes negativas en sí mismos. Los análisis realizados mostraron que no existen diferencias significativas entre los tres grupos respecto a la comprensión de emociones aparentes positivas ni negativas. Los resultados obtenidos tampoco diferencian a los niños de los tres grupos respecto a la popularidad dentro de su grupo de amigos.

Palabras clave (es): amigos imaginarios, habilidades sociales, comprensión de las emociones, popularidad, imaginación

Resumen (en)

The aim of this research was to establish differences across three groups of children (N = 43, aged 3 to 6 years old) regarding the understanding of apparent emotions and popularity among their group of classmates. Children were classified into the following groups: children with IF (Imaginary Friends, n = 13), children with PO (Personified Objects, n = 15), and children who did not show any of the previous forms of children's imagination (n = 15). They were tested with stories based on Harris, et al. (1986), which exemplified positive emotions in others and apparent negative emotions in themselves. The analyzes carried out showed that there are no significant differences between the three groups regarding the understanding of apparent positive or negative emotions. Results do not differentiate children from all three groups regarding popularity within their group of friends.

Palabras clave (en): imaginary friends, social skills, popularity, imagination, understanding of emotions.
Jaqueline Benavides Delgado, Universidad del Valle -Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia.

Jaqueline Benavides Delgado, Investigadora. Líder del grupo Boulomai. Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia. Dirección postal: Carrera 9 # 172- 69, Bogotá, Colombia. Correo electrónico:  jaqueline.benavidesd@campusucc.edu.co

Referencias

Ames, L. B. y Learned, J. (1946). Imaginary companions and related phenomena. The Pedagogical Seminary and Journal of Genetic Psychology, 69(2), 147-167. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856559.1946.10533385.

Carter, C. y Bath, C. (2018). The pirate in the pump: children's views of objects as imaginary friends at the start of school. Education 3(13), 335-344. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2016.1262887.

Dunn, J. (1995). Children as psychologist: The later correlates of individual difference in understanding of emotions and other minds. Cognition and Emotion, 9(2-3), 87-201. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699939508409008

Galyer, K. y Evans, I. (2001). Pretend play and the development of emotion regulation in preschool children. Early Child Development and Care, 166, 93-108. https://doi.org/710.1080/0300443011660108.

Gleason, T. R. (2002). Social provisions of real and imaginary relationships in early childhood. Developmental Psychology, 38(6), 979-992. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.38.6.979.

Gleason, T. R. y Kalpidou, M. (2014). Imaginary companions and young children's coping and competence. Social Development, 23(4), 820-839. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/sode.12078

Gleason, T. R., Sebanc, A. M. y Hartup, W. W. (2000). Imaginary companions of preschool children. Developmental Psychology, 36(4), 419–428. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.36.4.419

Harris, P., Donnelly, K., Guz, G. y Pitt-Watson, R. (1986). Children's understanding of the distinction between real and apparent emotion. Child Development, 57(4), 895-909. https://doi.org/10.2307/1130366

Harris, P. (1989). Los Niños y las Emociones. Madrid: Alianza Psicología Minor.

Harris, P. (2000). The Work of Imagination. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.

Harter, S. y Chao, C. (1992). The role of competence in children's creation of imaginary friends. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 38(3), 350-363.

Hay, D. F., Payne, A. y Chadwick, A. (2004). Peer relations in childhood. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45(1), 84-108. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.0021-9630.2003.00308.x

Lin, Q., Fu, H., Wan., Zhou, N. y Xu, H. (2018). Chinese children's imaginary companions: Relations with peer relationships and social competence. International Journal of Psychology, 53(5), 388-396. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijop.12392

Moore, R. y Russ, S. (2006). Pretend play as a resource for children: implications for pediatricians and health professionals. Journal of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics 27(3), 237-248. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004703-200606000-00011

Manosevitz, M., Fling, S. y Prentice, N. (1977). Imaginary companions in young children: Relationships with intelligence, creativity and waiting ability. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 18(1), 73-78. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.1977.tb00418.x.

Manosevitz, M., Prentice, N. y Wilson, F. (1973). Individual and family correlates of imaginary companions in preschool children. Developmental Psychology, 8(1), 72–79. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0033834.

Moriguchi, Y., Shinohara, I. y Ishibashi, M. (2016). Agent perception in children with and without imaginary companions, 25(6), 550– 564. Infant and Child Development. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.1953.

Moriguchi, Y. y Todo, N. (2019). Prevalence of imaginary companions in Japanese children. International Journal of Psychology, 54(2), 269-276. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijop.12446.

Pearson, D., Rouse, H., Doswell, S., Ainsworth., C., Dawson, O., Simms, K., Edwards, L.y Faulconbridge, J. (2001). Prevalence of imaginary companions in a normal child population. Child: Care, Health and Development, 27(1), 13-22. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2214.2001.00167.x

Russ, S. (2004). Play in child development and psychotherapy: Toward empirically supported practice. Washington: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.

Singer, D. G. y Singer, J. L. (1990). The house of make-believe: Children’s play and the developing imagination. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Singer, J. L. (1961). Imagination and waiting ability in young children. Journal of Personality, 29, 396-413. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1961.tb01670.x.

Svendsen, M. (1934). Children´s Imaginary Companions. Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry, 32(5), 985-999. https://doi.org/10.1001/archneurpsyc.1934.02250110073006

Taylor, M. (1999). Imaginary Companions and the Children Who Create Them. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Taylor, M. y Carlson, S. M. (1997), The relation between individual differences in fantasy and theory of mind. Child Development 68, 436-455. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1997.tb01950.x

Taylor, M., Cartwright, B. S. y Carlson, S. M. (1993). A developmental investigation of children's imaginary companions. Developmental Psychology 29(2), 276–285. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.29.2.276.

Cómo citar

Benavides Delgado, J. . (2020). Amigos imaginarios y la comprensión de las emociones aparentes en niños con edades entre los 3 y 6 años. Diversitas, 16(2), 271-281. https://doi.org/10.15332/22563067.6294