CURRENT RESEARCH
The Play, Learning, Arts, and Youth Lab conducts research that is both PI-driven and student-driven. Our work mainly investigates the social and emotional outcomes of engaging in a variety of artistic, playful, and imaginative activities with typically developing children and adolescents. However, we have previously collaborated and expanded this work into cognitive and academic outcomes, Autistic children, children with different abilities, and all ages from preschool through adulthood.
Our current projects include:
1) Children’s understanding of and parental lying about Santa Claus
Together with Dr. Candice Mills, we are conducting multiple studies investigating a variety of questions around belief, disbelief, lying, and play around Santa Claus and other characters such as the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy. Part of this work was generously funded by The John Templeton Foundation through a grant by Wake Forest University Science of Honesty Project. We are investigating how and why parents lie to their children about Santa, what kinds of experiences they provide, how mass media teaches children about Santa, and when and how children come to skepticism around the Santa Claus myth.
2) Grown Up Pretend Play activities
Although pretend play is often thought of exclusively as the world of children, adults engage in pretense across multiple different kinds of activities, including Rennaisance Faires, Mock Trials, Historical Reenactments, Cosplay conventions, LARPing, Model UN and more. We are currently running research projects including coding of such activities, large scale surveys, and interviews of both the motivations to engage in such activities and the benefits and effects people may get out of participating.
3) Audience responses to live theatre
While much work has been conducted on responses visitors have to museums and orchestras, what motivates people to attend theatre and affects their responses is less understood. In several projects, we are investigating what gets audience members to the theatre, what helps them enjoy their visit, and what motivates them want to return. Part of this work is generously supported by the Theatre Development Fund and the New Victory / New42 Theater.
4) The Acting Habits of Mind and related skills
In partnership with Shakespeare Theatre Center, the National Children’s Theatre, the Mason Community Arts Academy, and the Pinecrest School, we are investigating the effects of a first theatre experience for children in grades K-6, and how the Acting Habits of Mind are associated with academic, social, emotions, and creative skills. We are looking longitudinally at how the Acting Habits of Mind change over time (see Stutesman et al 2022) and how this change is associated with other developmental trajectories.