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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Richard Adams Education editor

UNBELIEVABLE: Playing with dolls can help children develop imagination and social skills uk study - The Untold Story

A young boy playing with a Barbie doll
The study comes as controversy develops over the damaging effects of allowing children access to digital devices. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

Playing along with dolls can help boys and girls develop more sophisticated imaginations and better social skills, compared with children who play on electronic devices, according to research.

Psychologists at Cardiff University and King’s College London found that children given dolls gained a richer appreciation of other people’s beliefs and feelings, in contrast to those given a tablet loaded with video games.

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