The Effect Of Role Characteristics And Self-distancing In Role-playing Games On Children’s Executive Function

Role play is one of the primary forms of games among young children.Through role play,preschools can effectively enhance their executive function,psychological theory of mind,and other cognitive abilities.Executive function,also referred to as executive control,is a cognitive structure required in the process of problem-solving.Extensive research has demonstrated that engaging in role play games can promote the development of children’s executive function.In role play games,the characteristics of the role and the level of selfdistance may be key factors in enhancing the development of children’s executive function.Therefore,building upon previous research,this study further delineates the characteristics of roles and levels of self-distance in role play games,and explores their impact on children’s cool and hot executive functions.The study 1 investigates the effects of different role characteristics in role-playing games on children’s cool and hot executive functions.Characters from the story of "Journey to the West" were selected in the study,and their role characteristics were classified into four categories based on different executive function attributes: high working memory,high inhibitory control,low inhibitory control,and high cognitive flexibility.The study involved65 four-year-old children who were exposed to a two-week of storytelling to familiarize them with the different character characteristics.Executive function tests were conducted on the children before the storytelling,during the role-playing,and two weeks after the role-playing.Building upon Study 1,Study 2 investigates the influence of self-distancing levels on children’s cool and hot executive functions.Sixty 3-5-year-old children were selected and randomly assigned to three groups: longer self-distancing group(playing unfamiliar roles),closer self-distancing group(playing familiar roles),and control group(no roles).Executive function tests were conducted during role-playing.Based on the two studies,the following conclusions are drawn:(1)Playing roles with high working memory,high inhibitory control,low inhibitory control,and high cognitive flexibility characteristics can promote children’s development of inhibitory control,cognitive flexibility,and delayed gratification.(2)The effects of high inhibitory control,high working memory,and high cognitive flexibility groups on inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility were greater than those of the low inhibitory control group.(3)In terms of inhibitory control,cognitive flexibility,working memory,and delayed gratification,5-year-old children performed significantly better than 3 and 4-year-old children,and 4-year-old children performed better than 3-year-old children in inhibitory control,cognitive flexibility,and working memory.(4)The longer self-distancing group performed better in inhibitory control,cognitive flexibility,working memory,and delayed gratification.(5)Among 3-5-year-old children,the longer self-distancing group performed better than the closer self-distancing group in working memory and cognitive flexibility.