Dolls in the early childhood classroom

Dolls are a part of every culture. From the beginning of time, children have played with dolls, using them as friends and confidants, as surrogates while the child recreates domestic situations, and as props for acting out fantasies. Dolls help children practice the nurturing role they see their parents performing. Dolls can be loved or punished, kissed or spanked, rocked to sleep or sent to bed with no supper, providing an acceptable outlet for a child's range of emotions. Children have the same kind of control over their dolls' lives that parents have over the lives of their children. Eden Ross Lipson, children's book editor ofThe New York Times, notes the universality of children's play with dolls. She suggests, The will to create dolls, to give them personalities and family relationships, to imagine their emotions and act out fantasies in which they figure, is one of the characteristics that makes us all more alike than different as human beings (Lipson, 1986).Blakely Fetridge Bundy is a writer, consultant, and teacher at Willow Wood Pre-School in Winnetka, IL.     

Use of nonanatomical dolls in the sexual abuse interview

Controversy exists regarding use of anatomically detailed dolls in child sexual abuse evaluations because of concerns that such dolls may provoke false positive demonstrations of sexually explicit behavior. This study shows that children referred for medical evaluation of sexual abuse will use sexually explicit behavior to demonstrate what has happened to them with nonanatomical dolls as frequently as when they are interviewed with anatomically detailed ones. Over a two-year period, 136 children (aged 24 months to 10 years) were interviewed by the same pediatric interviewer. During the first year sexually anatomically detailed dolls (SAD) were used, and in the subsequent year nonanatomic dolls (NAD) were used. Data was analyzed according to age, sex, and demonstration of sexually explicit behavior. There were 67 children in the NAD group and 69 in the SAD group. Of the NAD group, 72% showed sexually explicit behavior compared to 68% in the SAD group. Comparisons using chi-square analysis revealed no significant differences between NAD and SAD. Results indicated that in the sexual abuse interview setting, use of sexually detailed dolls did not increase children's use of sexually explicit behavior to describe what had happened to them when compared to use of nonanatomical dolls, and that use of either type of doll provides similar information in the interview setting.     

Use of anatomical dolls among professionals in sexual abuse evaluations

A total of 295 child protection workers, law enforcement officers, mental health practitioners, and physicians were surveyed to ascertain their uses of the anatomical dolls in child sexual abuse evaluations and their interpretations of young children's interactions with the dolls. The dolls enjoy fairly wide use among all four professional groups although most professionals employing the dolls have had little specific training in their use. Law enforcement officers were significantly less likely than the other professionals to view children's demonstrations of sexual acts with the dolls as convincing evidence of sexual abuse. There was no behavior (e.g., undressing the dolls, touching the dolls' genitals) which all professional groups unanimously agreed would be normal play behavior by young children ages 2-5, who had not been sexually abused. Results highlight the need for training resources and normative research.     

Use of anatomical dolls by Boston-area professionals.

Anatomical dolls are a widely used but controversial tool for interviewing child victims of sexual abuse. The present research examines how a representative sample of professionals who evaluate children actually use the dolls. Contrary to past reports, the results revealed that 96.6% of professionals who use the dolls had received training in anatomical doll use, 77.8% followed some standard protocol for interviewing, and 97.3% had at least 1 year of experience with anatomical dolls. The results also revealed that the majority of professionals did not engage in the "leading" behaviors of presenting unclothed dolls to children or undressing the dolls for the child, again contrary to past reports. The present research indicates that the professionals in this sample are more experienced and better trained than is typically thought.     

Children''s Use of Anatomically Detailed Dolls to Recount an Event

The use of anatomically detailed dolls in child sexual abuse investigations has raised several controversial issues related to important theoretical questions in developmental psychology. The present study was designed to examine some of these issues in a methodologically sound experiment. 80 3- and 5-year-old children experienced a social interaction with a male confederate and were later tested under 1 of 4 recall conditions: reenactment with anatomically detailed dolls, reenactment with regular dolls, free recall with visual cues, or free recall without visual cues. The children were also asked a variety of specific and misleading questions, some of them dealing with acts associated with abuse ("He took your clothes off, didn't he?"). Both anatomically detailed and regular dolls along with other props aided 5-year-olds more than 3-year-olds in recounting the event. To use increased rather than decreased age differences. Anatomically detailed dolls did not foster false reports of abuse. Overall, 3-year-olds were more suggestible than 5-year-olds. The findings have implications for children's testimony in child abuse cases and for psychological theories concerning the effects of stimulus support on children's memory.     

Interaction of normal children with anatomical dolls

Anatomical (sexually explicit) rag dolls are frequently used in interviews of children suspected of being sexually abused. Abused children have been noted clinically to be aggressive and sometimes sexually precocious in their doll play, and testimony to that effect is often accepted in the courtroom as pertinent evidence. However, to date, normative data on the play behaviors with the sexually explicit dolls have been unavailable. This pilot study provides empirical information on the play interaction of a relatively large number of normal (nonreferred) children with anatomical dolls. One hundred forty-four children (ages 3 to 8 years) were observed in a playroom containing these special dolls during three conditions: (1) with an adult present, (2) without an adult, and (3) with the dolls undressed. The observations showed that nonreferred children found these dolls no more interesting than other toys. Little aggression and no explicit sexual activity were observed. In contrast to clinical observation of abused children, the doll play of nonreferred children is unlikely to be characterized by aggression or sexual concerns; thus these behaviors when observed in interaction with these dolls should be taken seriously.     

从女性神话到生命个体——施济美小说中的女性形象析论

施济美的文学创作生涯呈现了一个明显的走向成熟的过程.在这个走向成熟的过程中,她笔下的女性形象逐渐丰满,女性世界逐渐拓展,她和她的人物一起从女性神话蜕变为真实的自主的独一无二的女人.在她1947年以前的作品中,女主人公的神秘气质和牺牲精神使得她们成为女性神话塑造的玩偶,不具有生命活力,也缺少辨识度.1947年以后的作品则呈现了一个个具有典型意义的女性形象,她们表达了作者对女性的生存困境和精神迷宫的思考与感受.     

Investigative interviews of alleged sexual abuse victims with and without anatomical dolls

Verbal and nonverbal responses by alleged victims of child sexual abuse were coded for length, amount of information, and the manner in which they were elicited by the interviewer. In 16 of the interviews, anatomical dolls were employed for the purposes of demonstration, whereas they were not used in another eight cases matched with respect to other characteristics of the children and the alleged events. Children interviewed with dolls provided an equivalent number of details and spoke as many words in the substantive portion of the interview as did children interviewed without dolls, and interviewers in the two groups used similar probes to elicit information. However, the average responses by the children were significantly longer and more detailed when dolls were not used. Children gave longer and more detailed responses to open-ended invitations when dolls were not used. Caution is necessary when interpreting these findings.     

Social Knowledge Facilitates Chunking in Infancy

Two experiments investigated whether infants can use their rich social knowledge to bind representations of individual objects into larger social units, thereby overcoming the three‐item limit of working memory. In Experiment 1, 16‐month‐olds (n = 32) remembered up to four hidden dolls when the dolls had faced and interacted with each other in pairs, but not when they faced and interacted with the infant, suggesting that infants chunked the dolls into social pairs. In Experiment 2 (n = 16), infants failed to remember four dolls when they faced each other without interacting, indicating that interaction between the dolls was necessary to drive chunking. This work bridges a gap between social cognition and memory by demonstrating that infants can use social cues to expand memory.     

Anatomical doll play of preschoolers referred for sexual abuse and those not referred

Anatomical dolls are used to facilitate children's explanations of sexual abuse. The goal of this study was to identify whether children referred for evaluation of possible sexual abuse would react differently to dolls than would nonreferred controls matched on sex, race, and age. A sample of 35 two- through six-year-olds referred to a hospital child abuse clinic were compared to 35 controls. After a rapport-building exercise, each child played under four conditions in a specially prepared room. Two coders, unaware of the child's group membership, viewed each videotaped session and completed separate behavioral checklists. Six conclusions resulted: (1) anatomical dolls did not create undue anxiety; (2) careful interpretation of sexualized play with dolls is needed; (3) dolls did not overstimulate and cause demonstration of sexual activity; (4) sexual abuse could not be diagnosed solely on the basis of doll play; (5) children in both groups inserted their fingers into doll openings; and (6) practitioners must rely on supporting verbal and physical evidence when making the determination of possible sexual abuse. More training and comfort with anatomical dolls and knowledge of normal child development principles are needed by examiners.     

Anatomically-neutral dolls: Their effects on the memory and suggestibility of 4- to 6-year-old eyewitnesses

The purpose of this investigation was to compare the amount and accuracy of details provided in the eyewitness accounts of preschool-aged children interviewed exclusively with a verbal interview against those interviewed with anatomically-neutral dolls in addition to a verbal interview. Forty-four children, aged 4 to 6 years, were paired up and assigned as participants or observers for an event they engaged in with a confederate. Children's memory was assessed afterwards by (a) The Step-Wise Interview (Yuille, Hunter, Joffe, & Zaparniuk, 1993); (b) the Step-Wise Interview and big dolls; or (c) The Step-Wise Interview and small, detailed dolls and props. Three leading questions were incorporated into the interviews. Results indicated no main effect of interview type on the overall amount or accuracy of the children's accounts. No main effects for interview type or participant versus observer condition were observed for the leading questions. Relative to 4-year-olds, 5-year-olds recalled a greater number of overall details and were more accurate in their accounts with both types of dolls. Females were more accurate than males in their accounts with the small detailed toys and props. Implications for the use of anatomically-neutral dolls in child sexual abuse investigations are discussed.     

Interviewing young sexual abuse victims with anatomically correct dolls

Two groups of children were interviewed with a structured format to elicit their responses to sexually anatomically correct dolls. Significant differences were found between the responses of children who had not been referred for suspected sexual abuse and those who had. Nonreferred children (n = 25) revealed very few behaviors indicative of abuse whereas referred children (n = 25) demonstrated significantly more sexually related behaviors when presented with the dolls. Of the age groups studied (2-6 years), 3 year olds were the most responsive to the dolls, while older children tended either to reveal their experiences or to become very nonresponsive. The authors argue for the use of structured interview techniques with use of the anatomical dolls and the collection of normative comparison data relative to the evaluation of suspected sexual abuse.     

Are the genitalia of anatomical dolls distorted?

Allegations have been made that anatomical dolls have genitalia which are disproportionately large and which may suggest sexual activity to children who have not been abused. The genitalia and breasts of 17 sets of anatomical dolls were measured. When the measurements were extrapolated to adult human proportions, the sizes of the genitalia and breasts were not found to be exaggerated.     

Professionals' standards of "normal" behavior with anatomical dolls and factors that influence these standards.

Do professionals have a consistent standard of what constitutes normal behavior with anatomical dolls? To answer this question, 201 professionals who work with child sexual abuse victims were asked to rate the normalcy of various behaviors with the dolls for nonabused children ages 2 to 5.9 years. The majority of respondents agreed that overtly sexual behaviors, such as demonstrating oral-genital contact or vaginal intercourse, were abnormal for nonabused children. For less obvious behaviors, such as touching the sex parts of dolls, there was more disagreement among professionals about what these behaviors mean. The ratings of these ambiguous behaviors varied depending on profession of the respondent, gender of the respondent, and number of years of experience. Law enforcement professionals, women, and those with the least amount of experience were more likely to view ambiguous behaviors as abnormal. These findings are discussed in the context of past research, with suggestions for future studies.     

An assessment of the behavior of sexually abused and nonsexually abused children with anatomically correct dolls

The behaviors of two groups of children were observed and recorded in their play with anatomically correct dolls. One group had been determined to have been sexually abused and the other group had not been determined to have been sexually abused. The findings show that significantly more children who had been sexually abused demonstrated sexual behavior(s) with the anatomically correct dolls than did the group of children who had not been sexually abused. These findings suggest that anatomically correct dolls are a useful instrument in sexual abuse investigations.     

The variability of practice in interviews used by professionals to investigate child sexual abuse.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to examine: (1) the variability of interview practice among professionals who interview children to investigate suspected sexual abuse; (2) the relationship between interview practice and respondent characteristics; (3) the characteristics of interviewers who used the anatomically correct dolls in the course of their interviews. METHOD: Sixty investigatory interviewers completed questionnaires focusing on professional background, training, and interview practice. RESULTS: Interview practice varied considerably and some practices were at odds with the recommendations of the literature. Most of this variability was not accounted for by the respondent variables examined. Where there was evidence for an association, the interviewers' professional background, number of interviews conducted in the previous year, and whether or not they used the anatomically correct dolls appeared to influence practice, whereas general training and specific training in child sexual abuse had no significant effect. Only a minority (36%) used the anatomically correct dolls and none of the interviewer characteristics evaluated differentiated them from non doll-users. CONCLUSIONS: In this sample interview practices varied considerably and did not appear to be influenced by the interviewer's specific or general training. Further research is needed to focus on the comparative effectiveness of different interview techniques and the comparative effectiveness of different training programs in influencing interviewing practice.     

The doll project

The urge to love and protect is not the sole possession of the maternal instinct. Small children feel it, too, and seem most free to give it expression when they play play with dolls.     

You said, ‘Black girl’: doing difference in early childhood

Abstract

This article draws on a larger study that examined the constructions of childhood by young children in early childhood centres. Ten boys and girls, between the ages two and four, from two early childhood centres in urban KwaZulu-Natal, participated in the study. The article explores the multiple ways in which young children use discourse and context to interpret differences around race, gender and other social identities. We draw on data produced through observations, storytelling and persona dolls to argue that, although young children reproduce multiple social realities they encounter in their daily lives, they are active subjects in constructing differences. Story telling with persona dolls provides opportunities for young children to talk about their experiences with regards to difference.     

Did She Jump Because She Was the Big Sister or Because the Trampoline Was Safe? Causal Inference and the Development of Social Attribution

Children rely on both evidence and prior knowledge to make physical causal inferences; this study explores whether they make attributions about others' behavior in the same manner. A total of one hundred and fifty‐nine 4‐ and 6‐year‐olds saw 2 dolls interacting with 2 activities, and explained the dolls' actions. In the person condition, each doll acted consistently across activities, but differently from each other. In the situation condition, the two dolls acted differently for each activity, but both performed the same actions. Both age groups provided more “person” explanations (citing features of the doll) in the person condition than in the situation condition. In addition, 6‐year‐olds showed an overall bias toward “person” explanations. As in physical causal inference, social causal inference combines covariational evidence and prior knowledge.     

试论贾探春的性格和命运

贾探春,品格高洁,性格开朗,温婉孝顺,善作诗文;她极有治家才能和责任感,顾全大局,精明敏捷;她有强烈的反抗精神,颇富傲骨,勇于捍卫人格尊严;她命途顺达,婚姻幸福,是姐妹中命运结局最理想的。