Neuroscientists from Cardiff University have found that doll play could benefit children with varying social communication styles, including those who display neurodivergent traits commonly associated with autism.
Part of a long-term study commissioned by Mattel, researchers monitored the brain activity of 57 children aged 4 to 8 years with varying levels of autistic traits.
The team, led by Dr Sarah Gerson, from Cardiff University's School of Psychology's Centre for Human Developmental Science in collaboration with Dr Catherine Jones, Director of the Wales Autism Research Centre at Cardiff University, used state-of-the-art functional, near-infrared spectroscopy equipment to explore brain activation while children played with dolls and on tablets, both by themselves and with another person.
They found that doll play - either alone or in a group – is related to brain activity associated with social processing among children with and without high levels of autistic traits, albeit through different approaches to play.
The findings build on previous years' research which suggest that playing with dolls activated parts of childrens' brains involved in empathy and social processing skills; and that doll play helped children to talk more about others' thoughts and emotions.
