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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Cognition
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1402021

The Efficacy of Picture vs. Word Danger Cues in Reducing Imitation of dangerous Actions in Children

Provisionally accepted
Shuanglong Dong Shuanglong Dong 1Liang Zhao Liang Zhao 2Zhaobin Bian Zhaobin Bian 3*Yansong Wang Yansong Wang 3*
  • 1 College of Teacher,Shaanxi Normal University, Xian, China
  • 2 School of Education, Baoji University of Arts and Sciences, Baoji, China
  • 3 College of Teacher, Shaanxi Normal University, Xian, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Children are known for their strong curiosity and limited self-control, which often leads them to imitate the actions of others, regardless of whether those actions are safe or dangerous. This study investigated whether providing dangerous cues to children can effectively inhibit their imitation of dangerous behaviors. Additionally, it compared the efficacy of picture cues versus word cues in reducing the tendency to imitate dangerous actions. In the experiment, all participants observed an agent grasping an object and were instructed to perform a corresponding keystroke response when a number appeared. The 76 child participants were divided into two groups: one group received word cues, while the other group received picture cues. A comparable number of adults were also included in the study for reference purposes. The findings reveal that picture cues, as opposed to word cues, significantly aid in reducing children’s propensity to imitate dangerous actions. This suggests that picture cues are more effective than word cues in mitigating the imitation of risky behaviors among children. These insights have important implications for enhancing children’s safety education and preventing accidents by utilizing more effective visual danger cues.

    Keywords: Imitation effect, dangerous action, Word cue, picture cue, Children

    Received: 08 Apr 2024; Accepted: 04 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Dong, Zhao, Bian and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Zhaobin Bian, College of Teacher, Shaanxi Normal University, Xian, China
    Yansong Wang, College of Teacher, Shaanxi Normal University, Xian, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.