Exploration and play: Resume and redirection.

Weisler, Ann; McCall, Robert R.

doi:10.1037/0003-066x.31.7.492

Cited by 148 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 114 publications

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“…Physical properties of a stimulus, such as colour, size or structural complexity, have been observed to influence the investigation of an object (Berlyne 1950;Weisler and McCall 1976;Mettke-Hofmann et al 2006). Studies like those carried out by Mettke-Hofmann et al (2006) on garden warbles have shown that birds take more time to approach and contact complex objects than to approach simple ones, which was assumed to be because individuals are influenced more by the risks associated with exploring a novel situation (i.e.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of stimulus complexity, age and experience in the expression of exploratory behaviour in the Chimango Caracara, Milvago chimango

Biondi

Guido

et al. 2014

Anim Cogn

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Exploration represents an important way by which organisms evaluate environment information. The decision of whether or not an animal should investigate environmental changes may influence the extent to which animals learn about their surroundings and cope with habitat modifications. We analysed exploration behaviour in a suburban population of a raptor species, the Chimango Caracara, Milvago chimango, by examining how age, previous experience and object complexity influence novel object exploration. Our findings showed that object complexity did not influence caracaras initial approach and contact with objects, but did influence the degree of engagement during exploratory activities, as measured by total exploration time and number of exploration events. These variables were higher for complex objects than for simple objects. Experience resulted in less exploration of simple objects. It is likely that, for caracaras, simple objects are easier to encode and recall than complex objects, so additional exploration of such objects would not provide further information. Results suggest that exploratory behaviour in this raptor was guided more by the benefits of a greater quantity of information obtained by exploring complex objects, than by the risks associated to this activity. We can conclude that caracaras cope with novel features in their surroundings with a novelty-seeking strategy, characteristic for generalist species in discovering early new resources opportunities, and which might be a determining factor for adaptive responses to environment modification.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of stimulus complexity, age and experience in the expression of exploratory behaviour in the Chimango Caracara, Milvago chimango

Biondi

Guido

et al. 2014

Anim Cogn

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“…Play is an intrinsically motivating and universal activity of young children and the majority of the mammalian species (Fagen, 1981;Schwartzman, 1978;Weisler & McCall, 1976). Most theorists of child development agree that early play has important effects on cognitive outcomes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of an energy and micronutrient supplement on play behavior in undernourished children in Indonesia

Walka¹,

Triana

Jahari³

et al. 2000

Eur J Clin Nutr

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Objectives: This paper reports the effects of an energy and micronutrient supplementation on quantitative and qualitative aspects of play among poorly nourished children. At issue is whether the supplement led to a progression in complexity of play. Design: two cohorts of children were randomly assigned to three treatments: E 1171 kJ 12 mg iron; M 12 mg iron 209 kJ; S 104 kJ. Supplementation was given for 6 months. Evaluations of play behavior were repeated four times. Setting: The sites were six tea plantations in Pangalengan, West Java. Subjects: The present study utilized a subsample of 55 children recruited for the larger Pangalengan project 6 months into the study. Thirty-eight children were recruited late enough to allow for longitudinal observations. The remaining cases were used for cross sectional observations only. Inclusion criteria were: no chronic disease; length-for-age À1 standard deviation (s.d.) and weight-for-length between À1 and À2 s.d. of the median of the reference of the World Health Organization. Methods: The children were videotaped during play. These tapes were coded for eight mutually exclusive categories of activities. Four activities coded represented manipulative, relational, functional and symbolic play. Results: Treatment did not affect qualitative play. Girls that received E increased functional play but boys showed the opposite effect. Children in the S group were breastfed more during play as compared to the E group. Children in the E group waited less to begin play.

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“…Children's play has been a continual focus of interest for educators and psychologists, and explanations of its meaning and importance abound (Weisler & McCall, 1976). One popular interpretation is that play provides opportunities to affect and control the environment in ways that the immature organism is unable to do in other contexts (e.g., Garvey, 1974;White, 1959).…”

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confidence: 99%

From exploration to play: A cross-sectional study of infant free play behavior.

Belsky¹,

Most²

1981

Developmental Psychology

431

347

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Forty infants, divided into 10 evenly spaced age groups between the ages of 7!/2 and 21 months, were observed playing with two sets of toys in their own homes for up to 30 minutes. Narrative records of the infants' behavior were coded in terms of a 12-step sequence of play development. Analysis of individual performance indicated that this level-of-play scale satisfied the requirements of a valid Guttman scale. Analyses of means revealed that frequency of mouthing and simple manipulation decreased linearly across the age period studied, whereas several types of pretense play increased linearly. Behavior that involved relating two or more materials and approximation of pretense behavior displayed curvilinear functions, which suggests that they are transitional forms of activity that link early exploration with more developmentally advanced pretense play. These results are discussed in terms of the assessment of early individual differences.

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Exploration and play: Resume and redirection.

Cited by 148 publications

References 114 publications

The role of stimulus complexity, age and experience in the expression of exploratory behaviour in the Chimango Caracara, Milvago chimango

The role of stimulus complexity, age and experience in the expression of exploratory behaviour in the Chimango Caracara, Milvago chimango

Effects of an energy and micronutrient supplement on play behavior in undernourished children in Indonesia

From exploration to play: A cross-sectional study of infant free play behavior.

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