The present research explores the role of inhibitory control (IC) in young preschoolers’ pretense ability using an ego depletion paradigm. In Experiment 1 (N = 56), children's pretense ability was assessed either before or after participating in conflict IC or control tasks, and in Experiment 2 (N = 36), pretense ability was measured after children engaged in either conflict or delay IC tasks. In both experiments, pretense scores were significantly higher only after engaging in conflict IC tasks. Further, pretense scores were positively correlated with IC scores when conflict IC was not experienced first. This pattern of results suggests that IC may underlie pretense, and conflict IC can boost the quality of children's subsequent pretending.

中文翻译：

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冲突抑制控制促进学龄前儿童的伪装质量

本研究使用自我耗竭范式探讨抑制控制 (IC) 在学龄前儿童的伪装能力中的作用。在实验 1 (N = 56) 中，在参与冲突 IC 或控制任务之前或之后评估儿童的伪装能力，而在实验 2 (N = 36) 中，在儿童参与冲突或延迟 IC 任务后测量伪装能力. 在这两个实验中，只有在参与冲突 IC 任务后，伪装分数才会显着提高。此外，当冲突 IC 没有首先经历时，伪装分数与 IC 分数呈正相关。这种结果模式表明 IC 可能是假装的基础，而冲突 IC 可以提高儿童随后假装的质量。