More Research On Why Kids Believe In ‘The Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth’

by podblack on December 26, 2009

Just as I do the first podcast ep for the Token Skeptic. ‘On Santa’ - the Wall Street Journal reports on magical thinking in kids! The Power of Magical Thinking – Research Shows the Importance of Imagination in Children’s Cognitive Development:

The researchers found that while children as young as 3 understand the concept of what is real and what isn’t, until they are about 7 kids can be easily misled by adults’ persuasive words or by “evidence.” They hold onto their beliefs about some fantastical characters—like Santa—longer than others, such as monsters or dragons. Most of the kids in the study were Christian, and the numbers of those who believed in Santa would likely be smaller if there were children of other religious backgrounds in the sample, says Dr. Woolley.

When doing the research for the Token Skeptic podcast, however, I did find something which investigated that aspect, with Jewish children. Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy for the Jewish child and parent (Prentice & Jordan, 1997):

140 Jewish children (aged 3-10 yrs) enrolled in Jewish Sunday schools or preschools were individually administered a structured interview about Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy… Children’s belief in both figures declined with age. Contrary to expectations, Jewish children believed in both figures equally regardless of parental encouragement, the child’s behavioral participation in the myths, or parental commitment to Jewish tradition. In comparison with previous studies of Christian children, Jewish children believed significantly less in not only Santa Claus but also the Tooth Fairy.

Back to the article, however, it also has some advice for parents!

It is important but not necessary for parents to encourage fantasy play in their children, says Dr. Woolley. If the child already has an imaginary friend, for instance, parents should follow their children’s lead and offer encouragement if they are comfortable doing so, she says. Similarly, with Santa, if a child seems excited by the idea, parents can encourage it. But if parents choose not to introduce or encourage the belief in fictitious characters, they should look for other ways to encourage their children’s imaginations, such as by playing dress-up or reading fiction.

“You want to find a balance to lets [children] be open to possibility but also to question,” says Dr. Woolley.

If you haven’t downloaded the Skepticality episode, ‘The Santa Situation” which talked about a skeptical parent and Santa, do get to it before the year is out!

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