Work

Executive Function Costs of Fantastical Interference in Narrative Comprehension: A Response to Lillard's (2026) Commentary

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Through bringing together previous findings from 16 studies involving 121 effect sizes (based on 1,297 1.5- to 6-year-olds), Hinten et al.'s (2025) meta-analysis revealed that children who viewed fantastical media in an experimental setting performed worse on inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility tasks immediately post-viewing compared to those exposed to realistic media. Lillard's (2026) commentary provided one potential explanation for our findings, revolving around the idea that processing fantastical content is cognitively taxing because it conflicts with existing schemas. In this response, we extend Lillard's (2026) perspective by drawing on Loschky et al.'s (2020) Scene Perception and Event Comprehension Theory (SPECT) to provide an additional explanation: Fantasy overloads children's executive functions because it interferes with their narrative comprehension. SUMMARY: We present a novel perspective on why fantastical media may have adverse, short-term effects on children's executive functioning. Children's executive functions may become overloaded while watching fantastical media because fantastical elements can detract from and hamper narrative comprehension processes.

Source: Developmental Science

DOI: 10.1111/desc.70177

Authors: Ashley E. Hinten, Kana Imuta

Institutions: University of Otago, The University of Queensland

Language: English

Topic: Child Development and Digital Technology

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,140

Funder: University of Queensland