Play in Humans

Question 1

List parten’s 6 play stages

Answer 1

1. unoccupied play
2. solitary play
3. onlooker play
4. parallel play
5. associative play
6. cooperative play

Question 2

What is parten’s first level?

Answer 2

unoccupied play
-child is not playing, observing
-standing in one spot, performing random movements
0-2 years of age

Question 3

What is parten’s second level?

Answer 3

solitary (independent) play

• child plays alone + stays that way by being focused on actvity
• uninterested + unaware of what other’s are doing
• ages 2-3

Question 4

What is parten’s third level?

Answer 4

onlooker play
- watches others play but does not play with them
-may engage in forms of social interaction (conversation about play)
ages 2-3

Question 5

What is parten’s fourth level?

Answer 5

parallel play

• child plays seperately from others but close to them and mimics their actions
• transition from less mature to more mature play
  2. 5-3.5 years

Question 6

What is parten’s fifth level?

Answer 6

associative play
-child is interested in the people playing but not int the activity they are doing
-a lot of interaction but activities not coordinated
3-4 years of age

Question 7

What is parten’s sixth level?

Answer 7

cooperative play
-child interested in both people and activity they are doing
-play is organised and participants have assigned roles
-increased self-identification with a group
-group identity emerges
4-6+ years of age
- OLDER CHILDREN

Question 8

What changes occur in the cognitive complexity of play activities from infancy through the preschool period

Answer 8

1. Parallel play
2. Parallel aware play
3. Simple pretend play
4. Complementary and reciprocal play
5. Cooperative social pretend play
6. Complex social pretend play

Question 9

What is parallel aware play?

Answer 9

Children engage in parallel play while occasionally looking at each other or monitoring each other’s activities

Question 10

What is simple pretend play?

Answer 10

Children engage in similar activities while talking, smiling, sharing toys, or otherwise interacting
(1.5 - 2 years)

Question 11

What is cooperative social pretend play?

Answer 11

Children play complementary pretend roles (Mommy and baby) but without any planning/discussion about the meaning of these roles
2.5-3 years

Question 12

What is complex social pretend play?

Answer 12

Children actively plan their pretend play. They name and explicity assign roles for each player and propose a play script, and may stop playing to modify the script if play breaks down

Question 13

What are actual gender differences?

Answer 13

1. cognitive abilities
2. aggression
3. social interaction/play, activity levels/risk taking
4. physical vulnerability

Question 14

What is the gender difference of cognitive abilities?

Answer 14

boys have better spatial abilities while girls have better verbal skills

Question 15

What is the gender difference of aggression?

Answer 15

boys show more physical aggression while girls have more passive, catty aggression

Question 16

What is the gender difference of social interaction/play?

Answer 16

boys tend to play in rowdy, large groups while girls play in calm, small groups

Question 17

What is the gender difference of activity levels/risk taking?

Answer 17

boys are usually more active overall

Question 18

What is the gender difference of physical vulnerability?

Answer 18

boys are more prone to illness, get sick easier

Question 19

How meaningful are these gender differences?

Answer 19

society encourages these differences and children want to fulfill these roles and norms

Question 20

When is Gender identity established in kids?

Answer 20

Ages 2 to 3, acquisition of simple gender labels

Ages 5 to 7, unchanging attribute

Question 21

When do children become aware of gender role stereotypes and do they take these stereotypes seriously?

Answer 21

2 ½ year olds some knowledge of gender role stereotypes
strengthen and become rigid through early childhood, stereotypes emerge before they understand that gender can’t change. very important between 3 to 7 yrs (rigidity over
preschool years)
By age 8 to 9, children are becoming more flexible in their thinking
Puberty - magnification of sex differences; associated with increased pressure to conform to
gender roles

Question 22

Is there a tendency to favour same sex activities over those normally associated with the other sex

Answer 22

Yes, Preference for same

• sex toys: 14 to 22 mths
• sex playmates: by age 2

Question 23

Boys less likely to play with girls toys than girls. True or False

Answer 23

True - discouraged more by adults!

Question 24

Nature vs Nurture argument

Answer 24

Experiment with the kids and adults, adults encourage children to play with gender stereotypical toys
Macaques - male macaques spent more time with male toys than female

Question 25

Who are important influencers of gender

Answer 25

teachers, peers, parents & siblings

Question 26

What are the biological theories on gender

Answer 26

genetic, hormonal (behavior and hormones predict each other), brain structure (different experiences from birth = different brain structure)

Question 27

What are the positives of being gender typical?

Answer 27

avoid peer rejection, part of your gender identity (typicality & contentedness) leads to high self esteem