Mental time travel in early childhood: Counterfactual thinking and future thinking

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K03223
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 10020:Educational psychology-related
• Research Institution: Chiba University
• Principal Investigator: Nakamichi Keito 千葉大学, 教育学部, 准教授 (70454303)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 幼児 / 反事実的思考 / 推論 / 実行機能 / 認知発達 / 縦断研究

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Thinking about the past and future beyond the "here and now" is called "mental time travel." This thinking is considered to be one of the characteristic human thoughts. In this study, we focused on "counterfactual thinking," which is "past-oriented mental time travel," and examined the development of this thinking in early childhood. In addition, in response to the spread of COVID-19 (December 2019-), we focused on executive function (the ability to control one's thoughts and actions), which is the cognitive basis of mental time travel.

Free Research Field

発達心理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の主要な研究の1つでは，幼児期における反事実的思考が「他者に感謝する感情の理解」に関連することを示した。また，別の研究では，幼稚園時点での実行機能は小学1年時点の学業達成の約40%を説明すると共に，小学6年時点の学業達成に間接的に影響することを示した。これらの本研究の結果は，日本の幼児の心理発達に関する新たな研究知見を提供すると共に，「幼児期の発達の重要性」を示す新しい証拠を提供している。