Role of Imaginative Play in Cognitive Development

Abstract

The role of imaginative play in the attainment of conservation and perspectivism was examined with a training study paradigm. 36 non-conserving kindergarten children were assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: (a) structured group training in imaginative play processes, (b) extra free-play activity in the nondirective presence of the experimenter, and (c) a control group. The first two conditions met for eight 25-min. sessions. On pre-post measures the training group showed significant increases in social-role conservation, the understanding of kinship relations and level of free-play imaginativeness, though no significant differences were found for the conservation of number and continuous quantity, or left-right judgments. The results indicate that imaginative play can be generative of new cognitive structures, under certain conditions, by the enhancement and accommodative use of psychological processes such as reflection, role integration, language, role conflict, and representational activity. A modification of Piaget's play theory was outlined. The relationship between specific kinds of play experiences and the construction of particular physical or social concepts was discussed, as well as various educational implications.