BOHA - 13

Question 1

Play was initially defined as a purposeless activity - what are 3 reasons this is wrong?

Answer 1

1) purpose may not be obvious to observer even though It exists
2) True benefit of action may not occur until much later
3) The benefits my be multiple and confounding

Question 2

play cant actually be purposeful because it has costs what are the 3 costs of play?

Answer 2

1) energetic
2) increased risk of predation
3) risk of injury

Question 3

which taxa shows most examples of play?

Answer 3

mammals

Question 4

what are the 4 hypotheses that Lynda sharpe tested for play in meerkats that all were disproved?

Answer 4

1) subsequent fighting success
2) reduce aggression
3) social cohesion
4) dispersal partnerships

Question 5

what other taxonomic group has been studied to play but is studied much less than mammals?

Answer 5

birds - especially corvidae

Question 6

why is it difficult to scientifically measure play?

Answer 6

play is related to happiness and you can measure happiness or fun

Question 7

what is an ethogram and why cant it be used to understand play?

Answer 7

inventory of all the behaviours an animal does and useful to identify when particular behaviours happen but doesn’t explain the function for these behaviours and why they evolved

Question 8

what are the 3 types of play?

Answer 8

1) object play
2) Solitary locomotor play
3) Social play

Question 9

are all the 3 types of play mutually exclusive?

Answer 9

no they arent they can all involve all together

Question 10

what is object play, possible reasons for it and where is it best known?

Answer 10

playing with a specific object - best known in juveniles - could be practice - as you grow up your more experienced - could also be juveniles have more free time than adults - also seen by predators with their prey

Question 11

what are 2 hypotheses for function of locomotor play?

Answer 11

1) could be to help develop spacial awareness and information on the lay of the land
2) Could provide exercise and develop motor skills

Question 12

how can you use an experiment to understand the reasoning behind locomotor play?

Answer 12

Controlled experiments in the lab could provide evidence for synapse changes in brain from play - need to identify if these synaptic changes are correlation or causation

Question 13

what are the 3 hypotheses for function of social play?

Answer 13

1) May enhance physical skills e.g. for hunting or fighting 2
2) May facilitate long term relationships - very common among young male lions - coalition members help each other later in life
3) May enhance cognitive skills

Question 14

what is social play?

Answer 14

playing with other individuals of the same species which may or may not be relatives

Question 15

what helps the individuals play fighting to know it is just play?

Answer 15

signals

1) facial expression help to differentiate between play and fighting
2) Vocalisations can help to communicate play

Question 16

what causes individuals to play fair?

Answer 16

1) the gains from cheating are low

2) costs of cheating can be significant and long lasting e.g. exclusion from the group

Question 17

why is play an evolutionary paradox?

Answer 17

1) natural selection weeds out activity that reduces survival
2) however play is costly and still persists
3) it must have benefits they just arent known yet

Question 18

what is Marek Spinkas general theory about play?

Answer 18

play creates novel situations and therefore enables animals to deal better with unexpected events later in life

Question 19

what is the problem with testing hypotheses about play?

Answer 19

if you deprive animals of play you deprive them of other things too - this is unethical

Question 20

what are the positive advantages of play in ground squirrels and brown bears?

Answer 20

1) Beldings ground squirrals
- those that play more are more coordinated and have more offspring
2) Brown bear
- the more they play the more likely they are to reach adulthood