IMPROVING SCHOOL READINESS: PRETEND-PLAY’S IMPACT ON EMOTION REGULATION, PHYSIOLOGICAL REACTIVITY, AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTION DEVELOPMENT

有些孩子自然地参与高水平的想象力游戏（Taylor & Carlson，1997），并表现出与他们的假装游戏倾向相关的发展益处（例如，Black，1992; Carlson，白色色，& Davis-Unger，2014; Thibodeau，Gilpin，Brown，& Meyer，2016）.然而，这些研究都是用方便的样本进行的，而不是用那些有入学准备缺陷风险的儿童，如参加“学前教育”的儿童。最近的研究表明，某些能力（即，情绪调节，适当的生理反应，执行功能）支持学校准备技能的发展，特别是在低收入环境中长大的高危儿童中（Bierman，Nix，Greenberg，Blair，Domitrovich，2008; Blair & Razza，2007; Domitrovich，Greenberg，Kusche，&科尔特斯，1999; Passolunghi，Vercelloni，& Schadee，2006; Welsh，Nix，Blair，Bierman，&纳尔逊，2011）。虽然已经开发了许多学前班课程来帮助有风险的学龄前儿童掌握入学准备技能（例如，促进另类思维策略），这些课程往往是非常昂贵的，需要广泛的培训才能实施。此外，这些计划的复杂性往往会给幼儿教师带来额外的负担，导致实施保真度差（Weiland & Yoshikawa，2013）。 为了提高这些方案的可持续性，重要的是要确定与规范发展有关的自然环境经验。与维果茨基理论一致，研究表明，儿童通过假装游戏获得社会情感和认知方面的益处（例如，Black，1992; Carlson等人，2014; Thibodeau等人，2016）。假装游戏通常涉及同伴和成年人之间的合作，分享情感和支持，自然会创造一个积极的环境，可以缓冲不良情绪调节/高压力反应对认知发展和入学准备的负面影响。与心智工具中测试的游戏不同（Bodrova & Leong，2007），最近的研究表明，假装游戏需要高度想象力（幻想）和儿童在成人指导下产生，以便儿童获得最大的好处（Russ，2016; Thibodeau等人，2016; Weisberg，2016）。 这项拟议的研究旨在建立在以前的研究，以确定如何假装发挥可以作为一个保护因素，以尽量减少赤字在学校准备不足的头开始在西亚拉巴马人口。将评估儿童的情绪调节技能、对压力的生理反应性、执行功能（入学准备的近端测量）、幼儿园的成绩和行为（入学准备的远端测量）以及假装游戏的水平/风格，以确定假装游戏是否调节情绪调节/生理压力反应性和入学准备之间的关系，包括近端和远端。这项研究的结果将告知开端研究人员，从业者和政策制定者如何假装游戏可以作为一种额外的，具有成本效益的方法来促进开端学龄前儿童的入学准备，并将刺激未来的干预研究。

Some children naturally engage in high levels of imaginative play (Taylor & Carlson, 1997) and demonstrate developmental benefits associated with their propensity towards pretend-play (e.g., Black, 1992; Carlson, White, & Davis-Unger, 2014; Thibodeau, Gilpin, Brown, & Meyer, 2016). However, these studies have been conducted with samples of convenience and not with children who are at-risk for school readiness deficits, such as those attending Head Start. Recent research suggests that certain abilities (i.e., emotion regulation, appropriate physiological reactivity, executive functions) support the development of school readiness skills, especially among at-risk children raised in low-income environments (Bierman, Nix, Greenberg, Blair, Domitrovich, 2008; Blair & Razza, 2007; Domitrovich, Greenberg, Kusche, & Cortes, 1999; Passolunghi, Vercelloni, & Schadee, 2006; Welsh, Nix, Blair, Bierman, & Nelson, 2011). Although many preschool curricula have been developed to help scaffold school readiness skills in at-risk preschoolers (e.g., Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies), these curricula are often very costly and require extensive training to implement. Furthermore, the complexity of these programs often places additional burdens on the preschool teachers, leading to poor implementation fidelity (Weiland & Yoshikawa, 2013). In order to improve upon the sustainability of these programs, it is important to identify natural environmental experiences that are implicated in normative development. Consistent with Vygotskian theory, studies suggest that children incur both socio-emotional and cognitive benefits through pretend play (e.g., Black, 1992; Carlson et al., 2014; Thibodeau et al., 2016). Engaging in pretend-play, which typically involves cooperation, shared affect, and support among peers and adults, naturally creates a positive environment that may buffer the observed negative effects of poor emotion regulation/high stress reactivity on cognitive development and school readiness. Unlike the play tested in Tools of the Mind (Bodrova & Leong, 2007), recent research suggests that the pretend play needs to be highly imaginative (fantastical) and child-generated with adult guidance in order for children to reap the most benefits (Russ, 2016; Thibodeau et al., 2016; Weisberg, 2016). The proposed study aims to build upon previous research to identify how pretend-play can serve as a protective factor to minimize deficits in school readiness in an underserved Head Start population in West Alabama. Children's emotion regulation skills, physiological reactivity to stress, executive functions (proximal measure of school readiness), grades and behavior in kindergarten (distal measure of school readiness), and level/style of pretend-play will be assessed to determine if pretend-play moderates the relationship between emotion regulation/physiological stress reactivity and school readiness, both proximally and distally. The findings from this study will inform Head Start researchers, practitioners, and policy makers on how pretend-play can be used as an additional, cost-effective method to facilitate school readiness among Head Start preschool children, and will spur future intervention research.