【英语时差8,16】心理学：想象中的朋友

The Psychology¹ Of Imaginary Friends When you were young, did you have an imaginary friend? Approximately thirty percent of American children between the ages of three and six develop an imaginary companion. In many cases this fantasy friend is thought of as real by the child, so real in fact that a child will often accommodate² for the companion’s physical presence, sleeping on only one side of the bed, for example, so the friend can have room to lie down. Many children even believe they can see and hear their imaginary playmate while they converse³ with them. This childhood behavior is quite common, but how healthy is it? What have developmental psychologists discovered about imaginary friends? A number of studies have examined this issue, and most have discovered very little difference between children with imaginary friends and children without them. For example, there is no relation at all between a child’s intelligence or creativity and whether they have an imaginary friend. The studies that have found differences usually indicate that having an imaginary friend is perfectly⁴ healthy, and maybe even beneficial for a child. Children with imaginary friends tend to show less fear and anxiety during play than those without. They also tend to be more cooperative⁵ during play, and even smile and laugh more often. One study even discovered that boys with imaginary friends tend to watch less television than those without. It’s quite possible that children use imaginary playmates to experiment with relationships, to develop a repertoire⁶ of social skills which are then carried over to the real world. Seen in this way, an imaginary friend might be an important part of some children’s social development.

1 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

2 accommodate   

vt.容纳，向...提供住处，使适应，顺应

参考例句：

• You should soon accommodate yourself to the new circumstance.你应尽快适应新环境。
• Are there enough shelves to accommodate all our books?有足够的书架容纳我们所有的书吗？

3 converse   

vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反

参考例句：

• He can converse in three languages.他可以用3种语言谈话。
• I wanted to appear friendly and approachable but I think I gave the converse impression.我想显得友好、平易近人些,却发觉给人的印象恰恰相反。

4 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

5 cooperative   

adj.有合作意向的，合作的；n.合作社（企业）等

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• We decided to set up a cooperative.我们决定开办一家合作社。

6 repertoire   

n.(准备好演出的)节目，保留剧目；(计算机的)指令表，指令系统， <美>(某个人的)全部技能；清单，指令表

参考例句：

• There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。
• He has added considerably to his piano repertoire.他的钢琴演奏曲目大大增加了。