In this article, we suggest that school-level and peer-level factors predict bullying, negative attitudes toward bullying, and ultimately sexual harassment during late adolescence. Our theoretical ...orientation leads us to hypothesize that aggression and social dominance play important roles in heterosexual relationships as adolescents are maturing sexually. We also outline the ways in which early heterosexual contact and dating develops. Suggestions are made for future research.
There has been a long-standing debate regarding the functions of play during childhood. An important, but neglected, first step in this debate entails documenting the costs associated with play. In ...this study we analysed energetic costs (expressed in terms of caloric expenditure) associated with physical play in four field experiments of play in primary school children. Experiment 1 established the concurrent validity of an observational check list to estimate caloric expenditure of children's physical play. Experiment 2 compared caloric expenditure of the play (defined as all behaviour exhibited during play time) for two age groups of children during playtime outdoors and during indoor sedentary activity; caloric expenditure of outdoor activity was greater and was significantly correlated with ambient temperature. In experiment 3, children were observed during indoor play to control for the influence of ambient temperature. Outdoor physical play was more energetically costly than indoor physical play. In experiment 4, children's behaviour was observed outdoors and caloric expenditure for play, games and other activities was compared. Physical play was more costly than other forms of behaviour and games. Estimates of total energetic costs of play ranged from 6 to 15%. Results are discussed in terms of the relatively low caloric costs of play.
In this article we present a rationale for the importance of recess in primary school curriculum. We propose that children's immature cognitions are well adapted for their particular phases of ...development and that children can get the most out of school when educators take advantage of children's immaturity to foster attention to classroom work. For example, Asian schools, although presenting children with what is generally considered to be a rigorous curriculum, provide more recesses for children in the early elementary school grades, which, we argue, relates to children's ability to1 attend and, possibly, to learn in school. Because young children are not able to focus their attention for extended periods of time as well as older children, their cognitive performance will be hindered if they persist at tasks requiring focused attention for prolonged periods. We argue: that by giving them frequent breaks during and between highly focused cognitive and academic tasks, their performance on later tasks should be enhanced relative to children who are not given such breaks. Also, performance on repeated tasks requiring focused attention decreases over time and trials, until rest periods are given. Rest periods in the form of recess enhances subsequent performance, although the nature of the recess activity may affect the extent of the subsequent benefits.
Found that 75 percent of variance in children's first-grade achievement was predicted by measures of their achievement, object play, and peer interaction in kindergarten; and that aspects of first ...graders' personality disorders and aggressive behavior were predicted by their popularity in kindergarten. (MM)
Play = Learning Singer, Dorothy
2006, 2006-09-07, 2009-10-29, 2006-07-27
eBook
Why is it that the best and brightest of our children are arriving at college too burned out to profit from the smorgasbord of intellectual delights that they are offered? Why is it that some ...preschools and kindergartens have a majority of children struggling to master cognitive tasks that are inappropriate for their age? Why is playtime often considered to be time unproductively spent? This book contends that the answers to these questions stem from a single source: in the rush to create a generation of Einsteins, our culture has forgotten about the importance of play for children's development. Presenting a powerful argument about the pervasive and long-term effects of play, this book urges us to reconsider the ways play facilitates development across domains. Over forty years of developmental research indicates that play has enormous benefits to offer children, not the least of which is physical activity in this era of obesity and hypertension. Play provides children with the opportunity to maximize their attention spans, learn to get along with peers, cultivate their creativity, improve their emotional health, and gain the academic skills that are the foundation for later learning. Using a variety of methods and studying a wide range of populations, this book demonstrates the powerful effects of play in the intellectual, social, and emotional spheres.
In this chapter locomotor play is discussed. Interestingly, this form of play has received wide and deep attention from behavioral biologists (e.g., Bekoff & Byers, 1981; Fagen, 1981) and comparative ...psychologists (Povinelli & Cant, 1995) but very little from developmental psychologists, with the notable exception of Pellegrini and Smith (1998). For example, in the only chapter dedicated to play in a Handbook of Child Psychology, Rubin, Fein, and Vandenberg (1983) made no mention of it. This is an interesting state of affairs given our current state of knowledge regarding definitions and putative functions of play. Specifically, locomotor play has been clearly defined in terms of exaggerated and nonfunctional behaviors and behavioral sequences (Fagen, 1981). Further, functional attributes of locomotor play, both immediate and deferred, have been proffered by scholars from a variety of disciplines, including zoology (Byers, 1998; Byers & Walker, 1995; Stamps, 1995) and psychology (Pellegrini & Smith, 1998; Povinelli & Cant, 1995). From this position, it seems that many psychologists have ignored one of the most common forms of play, as well as some basic theoretical and definitional assumptions regarding the functions of play. In this chapter Pellegrini discusses the definition of locomotor play in human and nonhuman juveniles, as well as ontogenetic and sex trends. He also examines locomotor play in terms of antecedents (hormonal and socialization events) and function.
Sex segregation during the juvenile period is a pan-cultural phenomenon in humans as well as being observed in many other vertebrate species. In this paper I define sex segregation in human and ...nonhuman animals and chart its ontogeny in humans from childhood through early adolescence. Second, I argue that sexual selection theory can explain segregation in humans. Third and consistent with this theory I posit that sexual selection effects on segregation are moderated by proximal factors, such as individual differences in activity and ecological factors. Fourth, I suggest possible functions of sex segregation in humans. Lastly and in conclusion, I discuss methodological issues that need addressing in the study of human sex segregation.
The developmental and educational roles of rough-and-tumble play (R&T) are reviewed. R&T is defined and theories explaining R&T are critiqued. Factors affecting its occurrence (i.e., gender and ...ecological variables) are reviewed, and the functional significance of R&T is explored. Methodological problems are discussed, such as the confounding of R&T with aggression, in the recent work on R&T. Generally, it is concluded that R&T serves as a positive function in children's social cognitive development.
The role of play in human development has long been the subject of controversy. Despite being championed by many of the foremost scholars of the twentieth century, play has been dogged by ...underrepresentation and marginalization in literature across the scientific disciplines. "The Oxford Handbook of the Development of Play" marks the first attempt to examine the development of children's play through a rigorous and multidisciplinary approach. Comprising chapters from the foremost scholars in psychology, anthropology, and evolutionary biology, this handbook resets the landscape of developmental science and makes a compelling case for the benefits of play. Edited by respected play researcher Anthony D. Pellegrini, "The Oxford Handbook of the Development of Play" is both a scientific accomplishment and a shot across the bow for parents, educators, and policymakers regarding the importance of children's play in both development and learning. This book comprises 24 specially-commissioned chapters by the leading psychologists, anthropologists, and evolutionary biologists in the field of play. It discusses human play from an ethological perspective, examining its ontogeny, phylogeny (especially across primate species), proximal factors and functions. It also emphasizes the importance of play in the debate over the role of recess in the school curriculum. It is divided into seven parts. Part I, Introduction and Overview, contains the following: (1) Introduction (Anthony D. Pellegrini). Part II, Definitions, contains the following: (2) Defining and Recognizing Play (Gordon M. Burghardt); and (3) Cultural Variations in Beliefs about Play, Parent-Child Play, and Children's Play: Meaning for Childhood Development (Jaipaul L. Roopnarine). Part III, Theories, contains the following: (4) Theories of Play (Patrick Bateson); (5) Comparing and Extending Piaget's and Vygotsky's Understandings of Play: Symbolic play as Individual, Sociocultural, and Educational Interpretation (Artin Goncu and Suzanne Gaskins); (6) Gene X Environment Interactions and Social Play: Contributions from Rhesus Macaques (Khalisa N. Herman, Annika Paukner, and Stephen J. Suomi); (7) Playing at Every Age: Modalities and Potential Functions in Non-Human Primates (Elisabetta Palagi); (8) Play and Development (Robert M. Fagen); (9) The History of Children's Play in the United States (Howard P. Chudacoff); and (10) The Antipathies of Play (Brian Sutton-Smith). Part IV, Methods, contains the following: (11) The Cultural Ecology of Play: Methodological Considerations for Studying Play in Its Everyday Contexts (Jonathan R. H. Tudge, Jill R. Brown, and Lia B. L. Freitas); and (12) Observational Methods in Studying Play (Peter K. Smith). Part V, Dimensions of Play, contains the following: (13) Object Play and Tool Use: Developmental and Evolutionary Perspectives (David F. Bjorklund and Amy K. Gardiner); (14) The Development and Function of Locomotor Play (Anthony D. Pellegrini); (15) Not Just "Playing Alone": Exploring Multiple Forms of Nonsocial Play in Childhood (Robert J. Coplan); (16) Internalizing and Externalizing Disorders during Childhood: Implications for Social Play (David Schwartz and Daryaneh Badaly); (17) Gender and Temperament in Young Children's Social Interactions (Carol Lynn Martin, Richard A. Fabes, Laura D. Hanish); (18) Social Play of Children with Adults and Peers (Carollee Howes); (19) Rough-and-Tumble Play: Training and Using the Social Brain (Sergio M. Pellis and Vivien C. Pellis); (20) Children's Games and Playground Activities in School and Their Role in Development (Ed Baines and Peter Blatchford); (21) Mother-Child Fantasy Play (Angeline S. Lillard); (22) Origins and Consequences of Social Pretend Play (Robert D. Kavanaugh); (23) The Development of Pretend Play in Autism (Christopher Jarrold and Carmel Conn); and (24) Technology and Play (Jeffrey Goldstein). Part VI, Education, contains the following: (25) Playing around in School: Implications for Learning and Educational Policy (Kelly Fisher, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Roberta M. Golinkoff, Dorothy G. Singer, and Laura Berk). Finally, Part VII contains a conclusion by Anthony D. Pellegrini.
