@article{ref1,
title="Self-regulation in young children: Is there a role for sociodramatic play?",
journal="Early childhood research quarterly",
year="2002",
author="Elias, Cynthia L. and Berk, Laura E.",
volume="17",
number="2",
pages="216-238",
abstract="This study tested Vygotsky's assumption that sociodramatic play in early childhood contributes importantly to the development of self-regulation. It also explored whether the link between sociodramatic play and self-regulation differs for impulsive and nonimpulsive preschoolers. In a short-term longitudinal design, 51 middle-income 3- and 4-year-olds were observed in their preschool classrooms. Naturalistic observations of total dramatic play, complex sociodramatic (CSD) play, and solitary dramatic play and of self-regulation in two classroom contexts--clean-up periods and group circle time--were gathered at Time 1, in the fall of the school year. To assess development of self-regulation, clean-up and circle time observations were repeated at Time 2, in late winter and early spring. CSD play predicted development of self-regulation during clean-up periods, whereas solitary dramatic play was negatively correlated with improvement in clean-up performance. The CSD play/improved self-regulation relationship was particularly strong for high-impulsive children, nil for low-impulsive children. Findings are consistent with Vygotsky's theory and suggest that sociodramatic experiences may be especially advantageous for impulsive children, who are behind their peers in self-regulatory development.<p />",
language="",
issn="0885-2006",
doi="10.1016/S0885-2006(02)00146-1",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0885-2006(02)00146-1"
}