Angeline S Lillard
Biographic Data
| ID | 1464361 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Angeline S Lillard |
| GIVEN NAMES | Angeline S |
| FAMILY NAME | Lillard |
| SIGNATURE | LILLARD A S |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Virginia |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9697-6611 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 26 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 75 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 26 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1992 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
When bigger looks better: CLASS results in public Montessori preschool classrooms
Rates of chronic absenteeism in Montessori and non-Montessori Title 1 schools
In this study, we asked whether Montessori schools, which tend to have high student engagement, are associated with lower average rates of chronic absenteeism and/or smaller racial disparities therein relative to non-Montessori schools. Using data from the Civil Rights Data Collection, we identified a sample of Title 1 Montessori and non-Montessori schools with propensity score matching, and we used multilevel modeling to compare racial dispariti…
“My Name Is Sally Brown, and I Hate School!”: A retrospective study of school liking among conventional and Montessori school alumni
School liking shows clear associations with academic success, yet we know little about how it changes over levels of schooling, what predicts liking school at each level, or how attending alternative schools like Montessori might impact liking. To better understand school liking across time and education settings, we surveyed adults about how much they remember liking elementary, middle, and high school, and identified key school features that pr…
How does play foster development? A new executive function perspective
Pretending emotions in the early years: The role of language and symbolic play
Although 3‐year‐old children sometimes simulate emotions to adapt to social norms, we do not know if even younger children can pretend emotions in playful contexts. The present study investigated (1) what emotions infants of 1–2 years old are capable of pretending and (2) the possible role of language and symbolic play in the ability to pretend emotions. The sample included 69 infants aged 18 to 31 months and their parents. Infants were administr…
Parents' roles and question‐asking during pretend and real activities
All activities—real and pretend—provide children opportunities to learn new facts and skills, and parents are often facilitators. Yet little is known about whether and how parents' roles and interactions differ during pretend versus real activities. Here, we examine whether parents self‐report adopting different roles during pretend and real activities and whether we observe changes in their behavior, in particular in their question‐asking; eithe…
Anthropomorphic media exposure and preschoolers’ anthropomorphic thinking in China
Children’s media is replete with human-like portrayals of animals and objects that wear clothing, speak, drive cars, and experience human emotions. Recent research has shown that anthropomorphic portrayals of animals in books lead children to think anthropomorphically about real animals. Here we asked whether this is also the case for an inanimate object. Specifically, does exposure to an anthropomorphized train, as compared to a real train, incr…
The current landscape of US children’s television: Violent, prosocial, educational, and fantastical content
The present study examined currently popular children’s television shows to determine the prevalence of violent, prosocial, educational, and fantastical content (including fantastical events and anthropomorphism). Network, style, and content ratings were collected for 88 shows using a combination of Common Sense Media and laboratory ratings applied to two randomly-selected episodes of each show. Overall, currently popular children’s television sh…
Young children’s thinking about touchscreens versus other media in the US
Although children’s use of touchscreen devices has rapidly expanded, how young children conceive of these devices is relatively unknown. Here, we examined young children’s recognition, attribution of functions, and preference for using touchscreens as opposed to other devices. Forty-three preschoolers answered questions regarding six devices; for comparison, a group of 16 adults was also tested. Children recognized the devices as well as adults, …
Developing cognitions about race: White 5‐ to 10‐year‐olds' perceptions of hardship and pain
White American adults assume that Blacks feel less pain than do Whites, but only if they believe that Blacks have faced greater economic hardship than Whites. The current study investigates when in development children first recognize racial group differences in economic hardship and examines whether perceptions of hardship inform children's racial bias in pain perception. Five‐ to 10‐year‐olds ( N = 178) guessed which of two items (low versus hi…
Further examination of the immediate impact of television on children’s executive function
Three studies examined the short-term impact of television (TV) on children's executive function (EF). Study 1 (N = 160) showed that 4- and 6-year-olds' EF is impaired after watching 2 different fast and fantastical shows, relative to that of children who watched a slow, realistic show or played. In Study 2 (N = 60), 4-year-olds' EF was as depleted after watching a fast and fantastical educational show as it was after a fast and fantastical enter…
Cultural variations in global versus local processing: A developmental perspective
We conducted 3 studies to explore cultural differences in global versus local processing and their developmental trajectories. In Study 1 (N = 363), we found that Japanese college students were less globally oriented in their processing than American or Argentine participants. We replicated this effect in Study 2 (N = 1,843) using a nationally representative sample of Japanese and American adults ages 20 to 69, and found further that adults in bo…
The impact of pretend play on children's development: A review of the evidence
Pretend play has been claimed to be crucial to children's healthy development. Here we examine evidence for this position versus 2 alternatives: Pretend play is 1 of many routes to positive developments (equifinality), and pretend play is an epiphenomenon of other factors that drive development. Evidence from several domains is considered. For language, narrative, and emotion regulation, the research conducted to date is consistent with all 3 pos…
Concepts and theories, methods and reasons: Why do the children (pretend) play? Reply to Weisberg, Hirsh-Pasek, and Golinkoff (2013); Bergen (2013); and Walker and Gopnik (2013)
We greatly appreciate the astute comments on Lillard et al. (2013) and the opportunity to reply. Here we point out the importance of keeping conceptual distinctions clear regarding play, pretend play, and exploration. We also discuss methodological issues with play research. We end with speculation that if pretend play did not emerge because it was naturally selected (due to helping causal reasoning or some other developmentally important skill),…
The Immediate Impact of Different Types of Television on Young Children's Executive Function
OBJECTIVE: The goal of this research was to study whether a fast-paced television show immediately influences preschool-aged children's executive function (eg, self-regulation, working memory). METHODS: Sixty 4-year-olds were randomly assigned to watch a fast-paced television cartoon or an educational cartoon or draw for 9 minutes. They were then given 4 tasks tapping executive function, including the classic delay-of-gratification and Tower of H…
Old dogs learning new tricks: Neuroplasticity beyond the juvenile period
Signs of Pretense Across Age and Scenario
Participation in imagined worlds is a hallmark of the human species, and yet we know little about the context of its early emergence. The experiments reported here replicated and extended in 2 directions Lillard and Witherington's (2004) study of how mothers pretend to have snacks, across different ages of children (15‐ to 24‐month‐olds, Experiment 1) and to a different scenario (personal grooming, Experiment 2). Mothers' pretend behaviors change…
Evaluating Montessori Education
An analysis of students ’ academic and social scores compares a Montessori school with other elementary school education programs. EDUCATIONFORUM Montessori education is a 100-yearold method of schooling that was first used with impoverished preschool children in Rome. The program continues to grow in popularity. Estimates indicate that more than 5000 schools in the United States—including 300 public schools and some high schools—use the Montesso…
Mothers' Behavior Modifications During Pretense and Their Possible Signal Value for Toddlers
An important issue for understanding early cognition is why very young children's real-world representations do not get confused by pretense events. One possible source of information for children is the pretender's behaviors. Pretender behaviors may vary systematically across real and pretend scenarios, perhaps signaling to toddlers to interpret certain events as not real. Pretender behaviors were examined in 2 experiments in which mothers were …
Children's understanding of the knowledge prerequisites of drawing and pretending
Many young children will claim that someone is pretending to be something even when the person does not know what that something is. To examine whether children's failure to take knowledge prerequisites into account is part of a more fundamental problem in recognizing how mental representations constrain external ones, the authors asked children whether an artist who did not know what something was, yet whose drawing bore resemblance to it, was d…
Pretend Play as Twin Earth: A Social-Cognitive Analysis
Theories behind Theories of Mind 1
Ethnopsychologies: Reply to Wellman (1998) and Gauvain (1998)
Ethnopsychologies: Reply to Wellman (1998) and Gauvain (1998)
Ethnopsychologies: Cultural variations in theories of mind
A set of basic beliefs about others' minds and behavior, referred to as folk psychology or theory of mind, is often discussed as if it were the same the world over. Yet, certainly variation in folk psychology exists. This article compares several aspects of European American theory of mind with other cultural models, as suggested by experiments and ethnographies, with the purpose of illuminating the degree to which there is variation. After summa…
Ethnopsychologies: Cultural variations in theories of mind
A set of basic beliefs about others' minds and behavior, referred to as folk psychology or theory of mind, is often discussed as if it were the same the world over. Yet, certainly variation in folk psychology exists. This article compares several aspects of European American theory of mind with other cultural models, as suggested by experiments and ethnographies, with the purpose of illuminating the degree to which there is variation. After summa…
Further examination of the immediate impact of television on children’s executive function
Three studies examined the short-term impact of television (TV) on children's executive function (EF). Study 1 (N = 160) showed that 4- and 6-year-olds' EF is impaired after watching 2 different fast and fantastical shows, relative to that of children who watched a slow, realistic show or played. In Study 2 (N = 60), 4-year-olds' EF was as depleted after watching a fast and fantastical educational show as it was after a fast and fantastical enter…
Mothers' Behavior Modifications During Pretense and Their Possible Signal Value for Toddlers
An important issue for understanding early cognition is why very young children's real-world representations do not get confused by pretense events. One possible source of information for children is the pretender's behaviors. Pretender behaviors may vary systematically across real and pretend scenarios, perhaps signaling to toddlers to interpret certain events as not real. Pretender behaviors were examined in 2 experiments in which mothers were …
Young children's understanding of different mental states
There is considerable evidence in the recent literature on children's understanding of the mind that young children have difficulty understanding false beliefs. Even when presented very strong evidence that a person's belief conflicts with the reality to which it refers, they tend to assume that it coincides with reality. Two studies tested the extent to which 3-year-olds make this same mistake with other mental states
Cultural variations in global versus local processing: A developmental perspective
We conducted 3 studies to explore cultural differences in global versus local processing and their developmental trajectories. In Study 1 (N = 363), we found that Japanese college students were less globally oriented in their processing than American or Argentine participants. We replicated this effect in Study 2 (N = 1,843) using a nationally representative sample of Japanese and American adults ages 20 to 69, and found further that adults in bo…
Children's understanding of the knowledge prerequisites of drawing and pretending
Many young children will claim that someone is pretending to be something even when the person does not know what that something is. To examine whether children's failure to take knowledge prerequisites into account is part of a more fundamental problem in recognizing how mental representations constrain external ones, the authors asked children whether an artist who did not know what something was, yet whose drawing bore resemblance to it, was d…
Ethnopsychologies: Reply to Wellman (1998) and Gauvain (1998)
When bigger looks better: CLASS results in public Montessori preschool classrooms
Parents' roles and question‐asking during pretend and real activities
All activities—real and pretend—provide children opportunities to learn new facts and skills, and parents are often facilitators. Yet little is known about whether and how parents' roles and interactions differ during pretend versus real activities. Here, we examine whether parents self‐report adopting different roles during pretend and real activities and whether we observe changes in their behavior, in particular in their question‐asking; eithe…
Young children's understanding of different mental states
There is considerable evidence in the recent literature on children's understanding of the mind that young children have difficulty understanding false beliefs. Even when presented very strong evidence that a person's belief conflicts with the reality to which it refers, they tend to assume that it coincides with reality. Two studies tested the extent to which 3-year-olds make this same mistake with other mental states
Theories behind Theories of Mind 1
Ethnopsychologies: Reply to Wellman (1998) and Gauvain (1998)
Ethnopsychologies: Reply to Wellman (1998) and Gauvain (1998)
Ethnopsychologies: Cultural variations in theories of mind
A set of basic beliefs about others' minds and behavior, referred to as folk psychology or theory of mind, is often discussed as if it were the same the world over. Yet, certainly variation in folk psychology exists. This article compares several aspects of European American theory of mind with other cultural models, as suggested by experiments and ethnographies, with the purpose of illuminating the degree to which there is variation. After summa…
Pretend Play as Twin Earth: A Social-Cognitive Analysis
Children's understanding of the knowledge prerequisites of drawing and pretending
Many young children will claim that someone is pretending to be something even when the person does not know what that something is. To examine whether children's failure to take knowledge prerequisites into account is part of a more fundamental problem in recognizing how mental representations constrain external ones, the authors asked children whether an artist who did not know what something was, yet whose drawing bore resemblance to it, was d…
Mothers' Behavior Modifications During Pretense and Their Possible Signal Value for Toddlers
An important issue for understanding early cognition is why very young children's real-world representations do not get confused by pretense events. One possible source of information for children is the pretender's behaviors. Pretender behaviors may vary systematically across real and pretend scenarios, perhaps signaling to toddlers to interpret certain events as not real. Pretender behaviors were examined in 2 experiments in which mothers were …
Evaluating Montessori Education
An analysis of students ’ academic and social scores compares a Montessori school with other elementary school education programs. EDUCATIONFORUM Montessori education is a 100-yearold method of schooling that was first used with impoverished preschool children in Rome. The program continues to grow in popularity. Estimates indicate that more than 5000 schools in the United States—including 300 public schools and some high schools—use the Montesso…
Signs of Pretense Across Age and Scenario
Participation in imagined worlds is a hallmark of the human species, and yet we know little about the context of its early emergence. The experiments reported here replicated and extended in 2 directions Lillard and Witherington's (2004) study of how mothers pretend to have snacks, across different ages of children (15‐ to 24‐month‐olds, Experiment 1) and to a different scenario (personal grooming, Experiment 2). Mothers' pretend behaviors change…
The Immediate Impact of Different Types of Television on Young Children's Executive Function
OBJECTIVE: The goal of this research was to study whether a fast-paced television show immediately influences preschool-aged children's executive function (eg, self-regulation, working memory). METHODS: Sixty 4-year-olds were randomly assigned to watch a fast-paced television cartoon or an educational cartoon or draw for 9 minutes. They were then given 4 tasks tapping executive function, including the classic delay-of-gratification and Tower of H…
Old dogs learning new tricks: Neuroplasticity beyond the juvenile period
The impact of pretend play on children's development: A review of the evidence
Pretend play has been claimed to be crucial to children's healthy development. Here we examine evidence for this position versus 2 alternatives: Pretend play is 1 of many routes to positive developments (equifinality), and pretend play is an epiphenomenon of other factors that drive development. Evidence from several domains is considered. For language, narrative, and emotion regulation, the research conducted to date is consistent with all 3 pos…
Concepts and theories, methods and reasons: Why do the children (pretend) play? Reply to Weisberg, Hirsh-Pasek, and Golinkoff (2013); Bergen (2013); and Walker and Gopnik (2013)
We greatly appreciate the astute comments on Lillard et al. (2013) and the opportunity to reply. Here we point out the importance of keeping conceptual distinctions clear regarding play, pretend play, and exploration. We also discuss methodological issues with play research. We end with speculation that if pretend play did not emerge because it was naturally selected (due to helping causal reasoning or some other developmentally important skill),…
Cultural variations in global versus local processing: A developmental perspective
We conducted 3 studies to explore cultural differences in global versus local processing and their developmental trajectories. In Study 1 (N = 363), we found that Japanese college students were less globally oriented in their processing than American or Argentine participants. We replicated this effect in Study 2 (N = 1,843) using a nationally representative sample of Japanese and American adults ages 20 to 69, and found further that adults in bo…
Further examination of the immediate impact of television on children’s executive function
Three studies examined the short-term impact of television (TV) on children's executive function (EF). Study 1 (N = 160) showed that 4- and 6-year-olds' EF is impaired after watching 2 different fast and fantastical shows, relative to that of children who watched a slow, realistic show or played. In Study 2 (N = 60), 4-year-olds' EF was as depleted after watching a fast and fantastical educational show as it was after a fast and fantastical enter…
Young children’s thinking about touchscreens versus other media in the US
Although children’s use of touchscreen devices has rapidly expanded, how young children conceive of these devices is relatively unknown. Here, we examined young children’s recognition, attribution of functions, and preference for using touchscreens as opposed to other devices. Forty-three preschoolers answered questions regarding six devices; for comparison, a group of 16 adults was also tested. Children recognized the devices as well as adults, …
Developing cognitions about race: White 5‐ to 10‐year‐olds' perceptions of hardship and pain
White American adults assume that Blacks feel less pain than do Whites, but only if they believe that Blacks have faced greater economic hardship than Whites. The current study investigates when in development children first recognize racial group differences in economic hardship and examines whether perceptions of hardship inform children's racial bias in pain perception. Five‐ to 10‐year‐olds ( N = 178) guessed which of two items (low versus hi…
Anthropomorphic media exposure and preschoolers’ anthropomorphic thinking in China
Children’s media is replete with human-like portrayals of animals and objects that wear clothing, speak, drive cars, and experience human emotions. Recent research has shown that anthropomorphic portrayals of animals in books lead children to think anthropomorphically about real animals. Here we asked whether this is also the case for an inanimate object. Specifically, does exposure to an anthropomorphized train, as compared to a real train, incr…
The current landscape of US children’s television: Violent, prosocial, educational, and fantastical content
The present study examined currently popular children’s television shows to determine the prevalence of violent, prosocial, educational, and fantastical content (including fantastical events and anthropomorphism). Network, style, and content ratings were collected for 88 shows using a combination of Common Sense Media and laboratory ratings applied to two randomly-selected episodes of each show. Overall, currently popular children’s television sh…
Parents' roles and question‐asking during pretend and real activities
All activities—real and pretend—provide children opportunities to learn new facts and skills, and parents are often facilitators. Yet little is known about whether and how parents' roles and interactions differ during pretend versus real activities. Here, we examine whether parents self‐report adopting different roles during pretend and real activities and whether we observe changes in their behavior, in particular in their question‐asking; eithe…
Pretending emotions in the early years: The role of language and symbolic play
Although 3‐year‐old children sometimes simulate emotions to adapt to social norms, we do not know if even younger children can pretend emotions in playful contexts. The present study investigated (1) what emotions infants of 1–2 years old are capable of pretending and (2) the possible role of language and symbolic play in the ability to pretend emotions. The sample included 69 infants aged 18 to 31 months and their parents. Infants were administr…
Rates of chronic absenteeism in Montessori and non-Montessori Title 1 schools
In this study, we asked whether Montessori schools, which tend to have high student engagement, are associated with lower average rates of chronic absenteeism and/or smaller racial disparities therein relative to non-Montessori schools. Using data from the Civil Rights Data Collection, we identified a sample of Title 1 Montessori and non-Montessori schools with propensity score matching, and we used multilevel modeling to compare racial dispariti…
“My Name Is Sally Brown, and I Hate School!”: A retrospective study of school liking among conventional and Montessori school alumni
School liking shows clear associations with academic success, yet we know little about how it changes over levels of schooling, what predicts liking school at each level, or how attending alternative schools like Montessori might impact liking. To better understand school liking across time and education settings, we surveyed adults about how much they remember liking elementary, middle, and high school, and identified key school features that pr…
How does play foster development? A new executive function perspective
Psychology (26 works) · Developmental psychology (16 works) · Social Psychology (16 works) · Child and Animal Learning Development (12 works) · Cognitive psychology (10 works) · Child Development and Digital Technology (8 works) · Cognition (8 works) · Early Childhood Education and Development (6 works) · Cognitive science (5 works) · Cultural Differences and Values (5 works)