Rough-and-Tumble Play and the Development of the Social Brain

Abstract

Social play—that is, play directed toward others—is a readily recognizable feature of childhood. In nonhuman animals, social play, especially seemingly competitive rough-and-tumble play or play fighting, has been the most studied of all forms of play. After several decades of study, researchers of play fighting in laboratory rats have pieced together the rudiments of the neural mechanisms that regulate the expression of this behavior in the mammalian brain. Furthermore, the understanding of the organization, development, and neural control of play in rats has provided a model with which to examine how the experiences accrued during play fighting can lead to organizational changes in the brain, especially those areas involved in social behavior.

Partner preferences and asymmetries in social play among domestic dog, Canis lupus familiaris, littermates

“…Such interlitter variability is also correlated with major differences in adult behaviours, including aggressiveness, sexual behaviour, maternal behaviour and behavioural, hormonal and neurochemical responses to stress and novelty (Sharpe et al 1973;Namikas & Wehmer 1978;Laviola & Terranova 1998;D'Eath & Lawrence 2004). Experimental studies in rodents manipulating these variables show that in at least some cases, interlitter variation in size, sex ratios and play-fighting behaviours are not only correlated with, but actually cause, differences in adult behaviours (Laviola & Terranova 1998;Pellis & Pellis 2007).…”

Adolescent social stress does not necessarily lead to a compromised adaptive capacity during adulthood: A study on the consequences of social stress in rats

“…Play deprivation or deprivation of social contacts can, depending on the timing, lastingly affect the development of normal social behavior which coincides with alterations in neurochemistry and neuroplasticity. Social play during adolescence, with play fighting being the most commonly expressed form, is crucial for the development of adult social competence (Einon and Morgan, 1977;van den Berg et al, 1999;Pellis and Pellis, 2007). There are critical periods for the effects of social isolation in rats.…”

Medical Clowning: An Embodiment of Transgressive Play

“…Play requires permission, is pleasurable or enjoyable, and is purposeless (Brown, 2009). Absence of play, or play deprivation, particularly in children, has a negative impact on health and health outcomes (Gray, 2011;LaFreniere, 2011;Pellis, Pellis, & Bell, 2010 Winnicott's (1992) notion of "total happenings" and the field of narrative medicine (Charon, 2006). Total happenings help babies (or older pediatric patients experiencing psychological regression due to anxiety or fear of death during a hospitalization) master time.…”