STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep with a key to productivity. An experiment studied 6-year-olds who were asked to do some repetitive tasks. The kids worked harder and were more focused when they pretended to be someone else. Those who would make believe that they were Batman or Dora the Explorer got the job done. Those who focused on themselves took lots of breaks. We have no word how soon grown-up workplaces will be encouraging employees to don costumes and take on a new identity. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.