Play and Imagination

Question 1

isaacs (1929) said what?

Answer 1

‘play is indeed the child’s work’

Question 2

what did dodd discover about children in the uk?

Answer 2

children in mid-to-late childhood (5-11y) play for 3 hours a day, and half of this is outdoors

Question 3

how did dodd define play?

Answer 3

‘an activity that the child does for enjoyment when there is no serious or practical purpose’

this represents a functional approach

Question 4

functional approach

Answer 4

play has no purpose and is done for its own benefit

Question 5

structural approach

Answer 5

play can be identified by play signals

Question 6

criteria approach

Answer 6

different criteria must be observed to indicate whether something is play

Question 7

five criteria of play

Answer 7

non-literal
flexible
positive affect
means/ends
intrinsic motivation

Question 8

non-literal

Answer 8

the child is pretending and not engaging with reality

Question 9

flexible

Answer 9

repeating similar behaviours with slight variations

Question 10

positive affect

Answer 10

enjoyment of activity

Question 11

means/ends

Answer 11

more interest in the process than the result

Question 12

intrinsic motivation

Answer 12

done for own sake

Question 13

which of these criteria were found to be predictors of play?

Answer 13

non-literal, flexibility, and positive affect

Question 14

different types of play

Answer 14

sensorimotor play
object play
physical play
pretend play

Question 15

how do different types of play align with piaget’s sensorimotor progression?

Answer 15

children grow to develop a symbolic thinking and understanding of play

Question 16

when is sensorimotor play first seen?

Answer 16

around 6 months, and other types emerge at 2 years old

Question 17

how can play change quantitatively?

Answer 17

greater physical abilities lead to more diverse physical play

Question 18

how can play change qualitatively?

Answer 18

changes in understanding lead to different types of behaviour

Question 19

the functional accounts of play

Answer 19

non-cognitive accounts
cognitive accounts

Question 20

non-cognitive accounts

Answer 20

pleasure, performance, peace-making

Question 21

cognitive accounts

Answer 21

practice, prediction and planning, and problem creation

Question 22

pleasure

Answer 22

enjoyment can be a driver of play

how can behaviours be fun with no value?

evolutionary spandrel- playful behaviours might be reinforced by other situations

Question 23

performance

Answer 23

play is costly and displays power and fitness to peers

Question 24

peace-making

Answer 24

sharing playful abilities can build group relationships and improve social cohesion

Question 25

what do non-cognitive accounts argue?

Answer 25

play emerges evolutionarily, but not because play changes the way children think and behave

Question 26

what do cognitive accounts argue?

Answer 26

play has a function in aiding learning about the world

Question 27

what does playing with objects allow children to develop?

Answer 27

complex motor skills, seen in southeast asian studies where hunting behaviour is seen in play versions of weapons

Question 28

how does play support learning?

Answer 28

through predictions and plans- children are more likely to explore novel objects when expectations are not met

Question 29

types of pretence

Answer 29

object substitution
attribution of function
animation
insubstantial material attribution
insubstantial attribution
character attribution

Question 30

object substitution

Answer 30

pretending a real object has different qualities

Question 31

attribution of function

Answer 31

using a toy camera to take a picture

Question 32

animation

Answer 32

interacting with objects

Question 33

insubstantial material attribution

Answer 33

pretending to pick up something which does not exist

Question 34

insubstantial attraction

Answer 34

referring to a situation which is not real

Question 35

character attribution

Answer 35

pretending to be different characters

Question 36

where can cultural and parental attitudes to pretence be seen?

Answer 36

in imaginary companions being perceived differently in different communities- one side views them as creative and fun, whereas the other sees them as only age-appropriate with concerns about dishonesty and the supernatural

Question 37

is it possible that parents and researchers make assumptions towards children’s enjoyment for pretence?

Answer 37

walker (2014) found during young childhood, children learn more from the practical use of realistic stories rather than fantasy stories

Question 38

can children learn from pretence?

Answer 38

children who were pretending to be a positive character during a challenging game had improved performance and perseverance

evidence of a motivational effect of play

Question 39

children and counterfactual thinking

Answer 39

‘what might have been’

children often fail counterfactual tasks until 4 years old (even though they can pretend at 2) which suggests pretence allows children to separate their imagination from the real world