Disentangling pretend play measurement: Defining the essential elements and developmental progression of pretense

Pretend play is a central component of child development, but causal inferences about its effects are difficult to make due to inconsistencies in definitions and measurement. A thorough analysis of how pretense is measured, coherences and disagreements in measurement strategies, and the behaviors involved in pretend play is needed. We review 199 empirical articles where pretend play was measured and propose a new hierarchical developmental...