distinguishing reality from fiction

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    DISTINGUISHING REALITY FROM FICTION 1

    Distinguishing Reality From fiction

    Mandi Blanton

    College of Western Idaho

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    DISTINGUISHING REALITY FROM FICTION 2

    Abstract

    Some children and adults alike are found to have trouble distinguishing the difference

    between reality and fiction. This is caused by a number of factors such as insufficient parental

    teaching methods, missing structures of the brain, the makeup of the brain itself, and the learning

    process.

    Keywords: reality, fiction, cognitive development, childhood development,

    schizophrenia, learning

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    Distinguishing reality from fiction

    Weve heard about it in the news before, children being injured or even killed pretending

    to imitate characters off of their favorite television shows and games, participating in dangerous

    games based wholly around fictional universes, fantasy worlds filled with locations and

    characters far removed from our own reality. When children attempt to take the rules of these

    fantasy words and apply it to our own, disastrous consequences have been known to occur. One

    such example occurred just a mere 4 years ago in the state of Washington. A young boy and his

    friends were playing outdoors when one of the children decided to start a game based around the

    popular animated series Naruto: A Japanese cartoon centered about a rebellious teenage ninja,

    who happens to have a variety of mystical powers at his disposal. One of the boys tried to imitate

    a character from the show known Gaara, whom in his universe, had powers which allowed him

    to control sand. He could submerge himself in or do things such as levitate it through in air. In

    order to mimic this character, the boy had his friends bury him under a foot of sand in the

    backyard, seemingly not being able to understand that doing something like that in the real word

    was dangerous. When the boy started to flail around, his friends laughed, thinking that the kid

    was only joking. Eventually, all movement stopped and the friends began to get worried, they

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    finally uncovered him, only to find that he had stopped breathing. Paramedics were called and

    quickly arrived on the scene, but after being taken to the hospital and listed under critical

    condition, he was pronounced dead. (Schoetz, 2008) The friends couldnt believe it. After all, if

    this Gaara character could hide under the sand, why couldnt their friend?

    What they didnt understand that things like that were dangerous in the real world, unlike

    the things they saw on television. Some children just seem to have a hard time distinguishing

    reality from fiction, overestimating the kinds of things they can do in the real world and

    confusing them with the limitless capabilities they see the make believe universes they are

    presented with on television, games, and in movies. What causes some kids to get reality and

    fiction confused? Is it a problem with mental health? If so, is there some kind of symptom or

    indicator which can help us identify the problem before it becomes an issue? Are we born with

    the ability to distinguish to two? If not, is it a learned ability, or something which is taught

    through explicit instruction via our parents and role models? These are questions which may be

    answered as we begin to understand the huge variety of factors which influence the development

    of this skill; From brain composition, the environment we are exposed to as children, the type of

    parenting style we are brought up with, and the kinds of media we see every day. Each and every

    one of them play important roles in teaching us the difference between what is real and what is

    not.

    So how do we begin distinguishing reality from fiction? Well, science has already shown

    us that there is a part of the brain which helps us in determining what we think is real. They have

    named this structure the Paracingulate Sulcus, or the PCS for short. What the PCS does is help

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    control our planning, thought, and judgement. Those missing the PCS have been known to

    confuse fictional things for reality, hallucinate, and have trouble recalling accurate information

    from past events, tending to make up false details which they believe to actually have happened.

    A startling is that studies have shown almost twenty seven percent of those surveyed were

    missing the PCS portion of their brains, and that almost forty four percent of those also suffer

    from schizophrenia. (Szalavitz, 2011) Whether they suffer from the hallucinations that are

    associated with schizophrenia because of the missing PCS structure or if the disease worsens the

    effects caused by the missing organ is still up for debate, but what scientists do know is that if

    the PCS is missing or found to be perfectly symmetrical in patients (normally the PCS extends

    farther into the right hemisphere than the left), than the patient more frequently is diagnosed with

    Schizophrenia. (Le Provost, Bartres-Faz, Paillere-Martinot, Artiges & Pappata, 2002) So there is

    definitely a clear connection.

    Now, missing structures in the brain and differences in the brain itself isnt the only

    factor in determining whether we can distinguish the things we see from the imaginary, whether

    it be something we see on television such as the example provided involving the child with the

    sandbox, or the strange hallucinations schizophrenics experience. Not all children suffer from

    diseases such as schizophrenia and other brain disorders, but they may still have difficulty in

    distinguishing fact from fiction. If you ask any child what their stances are on things such as

    imaginary friends, their beliefs in magic, and directly about their beliefs on the reality of fictional

    content, they tend to respond differently depending on the media they were exposed to. Some

    children separate what they read in books or see on television from real life, and may perceive

    it as something of an alternate reality. Others actually believe things such as magic exist, and this

    is where we see things such as the opening story occur. (Walker, Ganea, Gopnik, 2012) Age has

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    been shown to be a huge factor for children in determining the differences between two separate

    worlds. Not surprisingly, children around the age of three are more likely to judge a story

    character as real than a child around the age of four or five. (Walker, Ganea, Gopnik, 2012)

    This shows that learning and development have a significant impact on the way a young child

    views reality. However, children also seem to judge things based on experiences theyve had in

    real life, and tend to relate similar events together even if the fictional story seems preposterous.

    For example, an experiment was conducted where a child was given one of two short stories to

    read, one story was more realistic while the other was more imaginative. Both stories had a

    similar plotline, however details were changed. In the realistic story, the main protagonist drove

    a car and found a ladybug, while in the imaginative story, he flew on a magic carpet and found a

    fairy. However, in both versions of the story, the protagonist sniffs a Popple flower and gets

    the hiccups from it. After reading a story, a child was asked questions and then told to sort flash

    cards of events in the story into real and imaginary piles. Those who read the realistic story

    were found to sort the popple flower event into the real pile more frequently while those who

    had read the imaginary story more frequently sorted it into the just pretend pile. (Walker,

    Ganea, Gopnik, 2012) It seems that we tend to sort things depending on what were told it is. If it

    is explained to a child that something is imaginary and that it cannot physically happen, they are

    most likely to believe it, even if it is something true. Likewise goes for the opposite, if a child is

    told that something is real, even if it isnt, theyre still likely to believe it. Tall tales of figures

    such as Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy are great examples of this, which of course are what

    parents like to call little white lies. Children readily take what their parents say as a fact, and

    neglecting to educate your child on the differences between something that is real vs. something

    that is fake can have some serious consequences later.

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    In conclusion, teaching a child the difference between reality and imaginary is an

    important part of growing up, coupled with mental problems, neglecting to do so can lead to

    tragic events like the story of the boy in the sandbox. The PCS is also a vital structure in the

    brain which can lead to children having even more trouble distinguishing the two. Remember to

    take the time to explain the realm of fiction to your children, it may just be important.

    Sources

    Le Provost, J. B., Bartres-Faz, D., Paillere-Martinot, M. L., Artiges, E., & Pappata, S.

    (2002).Paracingulate sulcus morphology in men with early-onset schizophrenia. (Doctoral

    dissertation, Service Hospitalier Frdric Joliot, Orsay, Cerdex, France)Retrieved from

    http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/182/3/228.full

    Mendelson, A. L., & Papacharissi, Z. (2007).Reality vs. fiction: How defined realness affects

    cognitive and emotional responses to photographs. Manuscript submitted for publication,

    Department of Journalism, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennysylvania, , Available from

    Academia.edu. Retrieved from

    http://www.academia.edu/230047/Reality_vs._fiction_How_defined_realness_affects_cognitive

    _and_emotional_responses_to_photographs

    Schoetz, D. (2008, March 11).Boy mimicking cartoon in sandbox stunt dies - abc news.

    Retrieved fromhttp://abcnews.go.com/US/MindMoodNews/story?id=4430328&page=1

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    Szalavitz, M. (2011, October 05). Reality check: why some brains can't tell real from

    imagined. Time, Retrieved fromhttp://healthland.time.com/2011/10/05/reality-check-why-some-

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    Walker, C. M., Ganea, P. A., & Gopnik, A. (2012).Childrens casual learning from fiction:

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