A study was conducted (1) to develop an easily and efficiently administered diagnostic instrument for measuring young children's preferences for play materials and (2) to establish the reliability of the instrument. A Piagetian theoretical framework was employed in the construction of the Play-Materials Preference Inventory for preschool children.…

Examines the level and quality of object play and other cognitive and socioemotional aspects of the play situation, both as individual entities and as interrelated aspects of the way the child with Down syndrome approaches and deals with the animate and inanimate world. Relationships among these aspects and the child's level of functioning were…

In two sessions, the duration and tempo of toy play of infants and reaction of frustration were measured. Correlations indicated a general relationship between response persistence during play and attempts to escape frustrating situations. (Author/CM)

Investigates, in a group of 48 children ages three to five years of age who were judged either high- or low-exploratory, the effects of (1) the presence of other children high and low in their predisposition to explore and (2) different types of novel objects. (MP)

Children ages 7 to 10 and 11 to 14 years of age responded to both moral and conventional forms of transgression. Responses to moral transgressions revolved around intrinsic consequences of acts upon victims, while responses to conventional breaches focused on aspects of the social order. Sex differences were found. (Author/MP)

Looking behavior for 11 Downs syndrome and 11 nonretarded infants was coded while they played with their mothers without toys. No significant group differences were found for maternal looking, holding, and vocalization behavior, but the Downs syndrome infants looked toward their mother nearly twice as often as the contrast group. (Author/SW)

Provides insight into a general education approach that encourages full community participation in education. Discusses the historical role of festivals and play in cultural transmission, general education, and community definition. Describes Ohio State University's Renaissance Festival and the community's involvement in making the festival an…

Semistructured interview and questionnaire were used to determine attitudes of 100 mothers and fathers toward their young children's creation of imaginary companions. Results indicated that parents did not hold positive attitudes about their children playing with imaginary companions. Many reported they would react neutrally to such play and a…

Using nonhandicapped children (9 to 10 years old) in peer tutoring with 11 severely mentally handicapped children resulted in a significant increase in tutees' associative and cooperative play and a significant decrease in negative attention seeking and inappropriate behavior. (CL)

Aimed to provide an extensive and integrative review of empirical studies of pretend play in children. Attempts were made to sort out what is known from what is supposed but unconfirmed, and to identify the theoretical implications of the former and the relevance of the latter. (Author/RH)

Finds that (1) playfulness is a trait related to divergent, creative thinking; (2) allowing young children to play with objects can lead to increased performance on problem solving and divergent thinking tasks involving the same or similar objects; and (3) play training leads to short term gains in young children's cognitive performance.…

Discusses trends in the descriptive literature about children and the poor. Presents anecdotal material of children's spontaneous street play and analyzes cognitive skills exhibited in these situations. (Author/GC)

Evaluates the effects of an intensive period of dramatic play upon the cognitive structures of 12 three- to five-year-old children. (CM)

Two studies (one cross-sectional and one longitudinal) examined the relation between two developmental trends in play during the second year of life: the emergence of decentered acts, and the integration of separate acts into simple sequences. Subjects were infants aged 13, 19, and 24 months. (CM)

Discusses children as television viewers capable of manipulating the co-viewing setting by interpreting, constructing, and carrying out planned lines of play in relation to television and its content. Examples illustrate program-oriented and free-form improvisational play situations. (JMF)