Playing with dolls can enhance children's imagination and social skills more effectively than video games, according to a study by psychologists at Cardiff University and King's College London. The research, published in the peer-reviewed journal Plos One, compared children aged four to eight who were given dolls with those given tablets loaded with video games.
The study found that children playing with dolls showed greater improvements in 'false-belief reasoning'—the ability to understand that others may hold beliefs different from reality. Lead author Dr Sarah Gerson, a reader in psychology at Cardiff, said doll play encourages children to role-play, create narratives, and practise social skills in a safe environment.
Parents reported that children with tablets were more likely to play alone, while those with dolls engaged more with friends or family. The randomised-control trial involved 73 children over six weeks, with half receiving dolls and half receiving tablets. The researchers noted no differences between boys and girls in the benefits of doll play.
The study was funded by US toymaker Mattel, which provided the dolls, including Ken and Barbie. Cardiff University stated that scientific integrity was maintained through independent data collection and analysis. The findings come amid growing concern over the effects of screen time on children, with recent research showing nine-month-old babies in England average 41 minutes of screen use daily.
