Superhero Pretense, Superhero Identification, and Risk-Taking in Preschool-Aged Children.

This article investigates the relationship between preschool-aged children's pretend play as superheroes, their identification with superheroes, and their risk-taking behaviors. In a study of 105 children aged 4–5 years, children were randomly assigned to engage in either superhero- or school-themed pretend play while completing risk-taking tasks. Results showed that simply pretending to be a superhero did not increase risk-taking compared to pretending to be in school; however, children with higher levels of superhero identification who pretended to be superheroes exhibited greater risk-taking on some behavioral measures. The findings suggest that strong identification with superheroes, combined with active superhero pretense, may modestly influence risk-taking, highlighting potential considerations for injury prevention and media exposure among young children.