Described are three studies which examined the effect of filmed modeling on cooperative play in disadvantaged children. (Author/CL)

Role-playing activities were employed by an elementary school counselor to influence moral development. Support was not found for moral reasoning and social perspective-taking levels being influenced by role-playing. Evidence in support of the age-related nature of these constructs and their parallel pattern of development was found. (Author)

A review of play in nonhuman animals indicates that play increases with phylogenetic status, is important for mature social development in more advanced species, reflects intentional activity, and is essential for the development of tool-using strategies. (Author)

A program to encourage cooperative play and social interaction was successful with six of seven physically handicapped children in a nursery school setting. (DB)

Discusses the benefits of parent participation in their children's play, and reviews some problems that often arise when parents do attempt to play with their young children. (SB)

Examined the relationship between observed sex differences in infants' play, parental responses to these play patterns, and parents' ratings of sample child behaviors as typically masculine, feminine, or neither. (JMB)

Child-child interactions were observed in 2 preschools during free-play time and were recorded in terms of social initiations and responses. The degree of reciprocity in the quantity and quality of overall initiations as well as among the various initiation response dyads was analyzed. (Author/JMB)

In a naturalistic setting, boys and girls were exposed to a same- or opposite-sex live adult model who played with sex inappropriate toys. The results are explained in terms of the inappropriateness of toy playing for adults and the theoretical importance of adult vs. peer influences. (GO)

Effects of age differences in dyadic relationships where one child was severely mentally retarded and the other nonretarded were investigated with 53 dyads (retarded subjects 4-13 years old). Results suggested relationships were most balanced, symmetrical, fun, and engaging when partners were closer in chronological age. (Author/DB)

Two experiments with four autistic children (ages 5-13) demonstrated that reinforcement of appropriate toy play was an effective means of reducing disruptive behaviors of autistic children in unsupervised settings. (Author/DB)

Made spot observations of 83 infant to six-year-old children. Examined sex and age differences in children's typical play and nonplay activities and in the people with whom they interacted. There were fewer sex differences in children's activities, activity partners, and general social settings than expected. (Author/LHW)

Maternal involvement effects on symbolic play development in toddlers were investigated. Sixteen mother-child dyads were observed at bimonthly intervals in a free-play setting during the period from 20 to 28 months of age. The complexity and length of play episodes increased when the mother was available to play with the child. (Author/BN)

Investigated the influence of the child's knowledge base on symbolic play in terms of event schemas. Pretend play of 10 mother-child (ages 24 to 29 months) dyads was observed in novel and free play contexts. Play was examined for thematic content, self-other relations, substitute/imaginary objects, action integration, and planfulness. (Author/BN)