This study investigates the ability of 13-month-old infants to use objects of varying degrees of realism in symbolic play and the genera1ization of this ability across different scene content. The effects of order of presentation of the task and of the behavioral coding scheme on the assessment of those abilities were also examined. Thirty male…

Erik Erikson concluded that differences in the play constructions of young children are largely determined by psychosexual differences in the subjects and not by cultural influence. He suggested that additional observation of younger and older subjects could determine whether the differences were true for all ages or whether they were restricted…

CHILDREN WHO ARE INARTICULATE CAN NOT BENEFIT FROM TRADITIONAL THERAPY METHODS. SINCE THE PRIMARY TOOL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY IS VERBAL COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PATIENT AND DOCTOR, CREATIVE DRAMATICS COULD BE A USEFUL PREPARATION FOR PSYCHOTHERAPY. A NON-CLINICAL TEACHER WHO WAS SKILLFUL AND EXPERIENCED IN CREATIVE DRAMATICS WAS THE GROUP LEADER FOR SIX…

Six boys and six girls aged 4-6 years viewed one of three videotapes in which puppets (two Muppets: one male and one female) used culturally stereotyped arguments to assign masculinity, feminity or sex-role neutrality to a standard set of sex-neutral toys. After viewing a film, the children were observed for 10 minutes in free play with toys shown…

An experiment is reported in which an attempt was made to bias college students' observations of a videotape of children at play. The study is framed in terms of W.I. Thomas' ideas concerning the definition of the situation. Observer bias is an instance when a definition of a situation is based primarily on subjective situational factors. Reliance…

There have been many theories and hypotheses about play, one of which is the equation of play with "transcendence." Play may have the ingredients to allow us to transcend and, for a moment, remythologize life. There have been recent authors who have given play the status of theology, indicating that play contains elements also found in religion.…

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that from January 1, 1974 through December 31, 1974, approximately 118,000 persons received hospital emergency room treatment nationwide for injuries related to playground equipment. Of this estimate, approximately 45,000 injuries occurred on public playground equipment and approximately 41,000…

The teacher working with handicapped children should use play and recreation experiences both to teach necessary concepts and for fun. Motor activities should be sequenced from the simple to the complex. Principles of child development should be applied to help the child learn about his body, learn basic concepts, and accomplish motor patterns.…

The present descriptions of play of children two to five are based on the theory that the four processes of understanding include four different emphases: (1) imitation, (2) exploration, (3) prediction, and (4) construction (building, etc.). Therefore, the categories of children's play discussed are transformations of each of these types. Play is…

All forms of play are transformations of four basic modes by which people know the world: copying, analysis, prediction, and synthesis. Transformation involves foregoing the usual outcomes of adapted intelligence for the sake of voluntary control of one's own behavior in games, and for the excitement of novel affective, cognitive and behavioral…

The free play of 5 black preschool Head Start children was observed. The variables manipulated in the study were delayed instructions and reinforcement for play with selected toys, and specific versus general instructions; the correspondence between the adult's instructions and reinforcement to the children's play was assessed. The data indicated…

The present investigation extended the methodology to investigate the effects of viewed aggression on groups of two and four children. The present study employed a 2 x 2 x 3 factorial design, using as independent variables sex of the child, group size (two or four children), and cartoon condition (aggressive cartoon, nonaggressive cartoon, and no…

A theoretical framework for the study of sport sociology is provided in this text. It is intended for students of sport, arts and humanities, sociology, and social psychology. Sport and social organization are discussed first. Three models of societies and six theories of social organization are presented which form the basis of the eclectic…

Defines perceptual criticism as an act of verbalizing sight and sound perceptions and contends that this creative synthesizing gives a play its meaning. Speech and Drama, 205 Ashby Road, Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. Subscription Rate: $6.00 per year. (MH)

Test scores have fallen because play is essential for childrens' cognitive development and this generation of children has played less than any other. (Author/IRT)