Play Partners Research Articles

Socio-psychological preconditions for the formation of preschool children group identity

The study aims to determine the socio-psychological prerequisites for forming group identity in preschool children in kindergarten on the example of interpersonal interaction of children and memories of an adult and on this basis to build a research model. Signs of group identity of children in preschool are the experience of interest in interacting with a particular group of peers, the desire to be accepted, and at the same time hostility or lack of interest in other peers. The group identity of a child is formed from the first day of his life since the child’s upbringing is focused on inclusion in the family – the first social group, on the formation of worldview, which is inherent in this social group. Kindergarten is the second crucial social environment where a child develops his group and ego-identity, not just where children are when their parents are at work. The components of group identity are the desire to be in a group, feel like a member of this group, attitude to representatives of other micro and macro groups, retransmission of parents’ social identity (for example, attitudes, etc.). The author’s questionnaire (respondents) covered the first two components of the group identity. The percentage of loneliness among peers in modern children (35.5%) and adults (27.1%) who attended kindergarten more than 30 years ago remains quite significant, which shows that this problem has existed for decades and needs more attention from scientists. Lack of play partners and frequent conflicts with peers lead to negative self-esteem, fear of communicating with children, and other toxic experiences and, consequently, risks of victimization in the future. The survey showed that the socio-psychological prerequisites for the formation of positive group identity of preschoolers are features of building children’s interaction: the development of children’s communicative skills, openness to interaction, direct interest in another child, lack of bias based on subconscious adult introjects and attitudes to support children. The other features are the involvement of the educator in the process of interaction of children: assistance in resolving conflict situations with peers, identifying children who can not build friendly relations and helping them to overcome barriers; quality feedback from the educator to the parents and vice versa; teamwork of all group staff; supervision of educators. At the same time, the preconditions also include awareness and living by the educator of their own personal children’s injuries caused by their acceptance or non-acceptance by the children’s team. Based on theoretical and empirical pilot research, the model of study of preschool children’s group identity, which contains components, preconditions of formation, criteria of formation, and success of social and psychological competence in a circle of peers, is constructed

ФОРМИРОВАНИЕ ЭМОЦИОНАЛЬНОЙ ДЕЦЕНТРАЦИИ У ДОШКОЛЬНИКОВ В УСЛОВИЯХ СЮЖЕТНО-РОЛЕВОЙ ИГРЫ

Statement of the problem. Based on the analysis of research by Russian authors, the article outlines the problem of the formation of emotional decentration in preschool children and the importance of play in this process. The purpose of the article is to identify the relationship between the formation of a role-playing game and the formation of emotional decentration. The research methodology is based on the cultural and historical concept of L.S. Vygotsky, as well as the theory of the activity by A.N. Leontiev; in the course of the study, the following methodology was applied: analysis of theoretical sources on formation of the emotional sphere of a preschooler and development of role-playing games; standardized observation of the progress of specially organized games; ascertaining experiment to determine the level of emotional decentration in preschoolers; formative experiment; qualitative and quantitative data analysis; comparative analysis of data using the statistical Student’s t-test. The significance level is p = 0.05. Research results. In the course of the study, our hypothesis was confirmed: such conditions for role-playing games as providing preschoolers with the opportunity to create and transform the play space with the help of unformed object material, adults acceptance of the position as a play partner contribute to the internal and external dynamics of the game, which, in turn, affects the progress in the development of emotional decentration in preschool children. Conclusion. In this paper, the features of emotional development of preschool age were described, the concept of emotional decentration from the point of view of different authors was considered, and the process of the development of play in preschool age was described. A scheme has been developed to determine the level of emotional decentration in preschoolers. In this scheme, three levels of formation of emotional decentration in children 4-6 years old are identified (relative to three criteria as indicators of emotional decentration): high, medium and low. A diagnostic game procedure “Wishes of a Fairy-Tale Character” has been developed, which can be used to identify the level of formation of emotional decentration. A scheme for analyzing the internal and external dynamics of a role-playing game has been developed.

“This is a mailbox, right?”: Associations of play materials with siblings’ and friends’ shared meanings during pretend play

Play materials designed to enhance children’s pretense were investigated; namely, how the specific characteristics of the play sets (thematically open-ended village set vs thematically closed-ended train set) influenced children’s play communication regarding their co-construction of shared meanings. Participants included 44 7-year-old focal children playing with both play sets with an older or younger sibling and a same-age friend. Play set differentially impacted the type of shared meanings children co-constructed; specifically, the village set promoted more simple strategies (e.g. descriptions) and clarifications (e.g. questions), and the train set facilitated more prosocial behavior (e.g. helping), regardless of play partner. Friends were more likely to initiate play ideas and engage in disruptive behavior (e.g. control, aggression) with the train versus the village. The pattern of findings indicated that children’s play communications may be associated with the specific type of props and that all materials designed for pretense do not enhance it in the same way.

Group Identity as a Prognostic Factor of Mental Health in Preschool Children

Introduction. Victim stance of an individual may arise due to negative social relationships (Chojnacka, 2020) and may be associated with the experience of loneliness (Barbaro, 1999); lack of close friends and rejection by peers; lack of play partner and negative relationships in childhood (Chase, 1999). However, studies investigating the peculiarities of group identity development and the problem of loneliness in preschool children are insufficiently presented in the modern scientific literature. In this article, the phenomenon of victimhood, the experience of acceptance or rejection by a group of peers are considered in the context of preschooler’s mental health genesis.
 Purpose. The aim of the study is to determine the features of group identity development in preschool children in kindergartens based on the examples of children and the memories of adults.
 Materials and methods: an anonymous survey with open-ended and closed-ended questions was used (n = 247). The participants of the survey were parents of preschoolers attending modern preschool educational institutions (n = 140) and respondents who attended kindergarten as children (n = 107, aged 12 to 55). They were asked to evaluate the organization of groups in kindergarten; the features of interpersonal interaction of children; meeting the needs of children in child-care facilities; the main functions of the kindergarten and their level of trust in educators.
 Results: Kindergarten is a second important environment where a child continues to develop his group identity and ego-identity, and not just a place where children stay when parents are at work. Children who have difficulty interacting with their peers often face aggression from peers, experience feelings of loneliness, but not always receive help from their teachers. The majority of respondents (75.7%) answered that the experience of communication in kindergarten influenced their emotional state, self-esteem and communicative competence at school.
 Conclusions: The peculiarities of children's group identity in the preschool period are experiences of interest in interaction with a certain group of peers, the desire to be accepted and at the same time hostility towards or lack of interest in other peers. A significant percentage of experienced loneliness among modern children (35.5%) and adults (27.1%) who attended kindergarten more than 30 years ago indicates that this problem has existed for decades and requires more attention from scientists. Absence of play partners and frequent conflicts with peers lead to low self-esteem, fear of communication with children, other toxic experience and, as a consequence, to the risks of victimization in the future

How Do the Children Play? The Influence of Playground Type on Children's Play Styles.

Using a mixed-method design, the aims of the current study were to develop an in-depth understanding of (1) children’s social play behaviors on school and community playgrounds, (2) the duration with which children play within varying social play categories, and (3) assessing children’s perspectives of playground activities, their peer relationships, and recommendations for new playgrounds. Six participants were observed for five 30-min observations on a school playground and for five 30-min observations on a community playground. Participants were also interviewed about their experiences and preferences on school and community playgrounds. The direct observation results support and extend previous work, indicating that children’s play skill competence varies by setting. Children demonstrated higher levels of associative and cooperative play on the school playground, but higher levels of solitary and parallel play on the community playground. This difference in play styles by playground appears to be a function of available play partners and is explained by the interview data, which found that children are not comfortable playing with children they do not know.

Using the ‘stranger test’ to assess social competency in adult female Long Evans rats reared with a Fischer 344 partner

Rats reared with limited access to a play partner during the juvenile period develop into adults with impairments in various cognitive, emotional, and social skills. The present study assesses the consequences of play deprivation on adult social skills in female Long Evans (LE) rats that were reared with a low-playing Fischer 344 rat over the juvenile period. As adults, their social skills were assessed using the stranger paradigm, by pairing the deprived LE rats with a novel LE partner in a neutral arena. While the deprived rat engages its partner in play there were alterations in key aspects of play, such as reduced pinning and a longer latency to begin playing, that suggest there are impairments in the social ability of the deprived rat. Most notable were the changes in the behaviour of the typically reared partner, a reduction in the amount of play it initiated and fewer actions that produced reciprocal and prolonged interactions. The changes in the behaviour of the normally reared partner suggest that it detected subtle changes in the play deprived LE rats. These findings support the hypothesis that peer-peer play experiences during the juvenile period are important for the development of socio-cognitive skills.

Rat 50 kHz Trill Calls Are Tied to the Expectation of Social Interaction.

Rats emit a variety of calls in the 40–80 kHz range (50 kHz calls). While these calls are generally associated with positive affect, it is unclear whether certain calls might be used selectively in certain contexts. To examine this, we looked at ultrasonic calls in 30–40 day old male rats during the expectation of either play or food, both of which are reinforcing. Behavior and vocalizations were recorded while rats were in a test chamber awaiting the arrival of a play partner or food over seven days of testing. Control groups were included for the non-specific effects of food deprivation and social isolation. Play reward led to an increase in 50 kHz vocalizations, generally, with specific increases in trill and “trill with jump” calls not seen in other groups. Expectation of food reward did not lead to a significant increase in vocalizations of any type, perhaps due to the young age of our study group. Further, rats that were food deprived for the food expectation study showed markedly lower calls overall and had a different profile of call types compared to rats that were socially isolated. Taken together, the results suggest that trill-associated calls may be used selectively when rats are socially isolated and/or expecting a social encounter.

You Pretend, I Laugh: Associations Between Dyadic Pretend Play and Children's Display of Positive Emotions.

Background: Understanding how pretend play is related to positive emotions is important for supporting children's development and promoting their wellbeing. However, previous studies have mainly examined this association at individual levels and overlooked the potential links at interpersonal levels. This is an important knowledge gap because pretend play is commonly performed in social contexts. The current study investigates how peer pretend play is associated with children's display of positive emotions at both individual and dyadic levels.Methods: One hundred and eight Chinese children (Mage = 8.95 years, SD = 0.99, 51.9% girls) were observed playing in peer dyads with toys. An interaction of 10 min was coded for each child's pretend play behavior, social and emotional pretend play themes, and display of positive emotions. Multilevel modeling was used to examine age and gender differences in peer pretend play. Actor–Partner Interdependence Models (APIM) were estimated to test the hypothesized associations between dyadic pretend play and children' display of positive emotions.Results: Compared to children whose playmates engaged in less pretend play, children whose playmates engaged in more pretend play were more likely to display positive emotions (p = 0.021). Additionally, children's display of positive emotions was predicted by both their own (p = 0.027) and their playmate's (p = 0.01) pretend play with emotional themes. Compared to younger children, older children were less likely to engage in pretend play (p = 0.002), but more likely to engage in pretend play with social themes (p = 0.03) when the total frequency of pretend play was controlled for. Boys were 4.9 times and 2.16 times as likely as girls to create aggressive pretend themes (p < 0.001) and non-aggressive negative pretend themes (p = 0.007), respectively. No significant gender differences were found in positive pretend themes.Conclusions: Pretending with peers may increase not only children's own, but also their play partner's display of positive emotions. Pretend play may not simply decline in middle childhood as previously assumed.

Looking for Peekaboo

In the context of a preliminary investigation of peekaboo play in a local day care, this essay examines the particulars of one child’s actions as she attempts to engage another child in peekaboo. Four elements of the child’s performance contribute to its evaluation as peekaboo: the stylized motions of looking and eye-covering, the intent to make and keep eye contact with the play partner, the rhythmic timing of covering-uncovering motions, and the opportunistic nature of the attempt to play. Considering peekaboo as a folk illusion puts these kinds of early performances in the context of a developmental trajectory that spans the entire childhood.

Age-based variation in calf independence, social behavior and play in a captive population of African elephant calves.

African elephant calves are highly social and their behavioral development depends heavily on interactions with other elephants. Evaluating early social behaviors offers important information that can inform management decisions and maximize individual- and population-level welfare. We use data collected from the population of elephants at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido, CA to evaluate developmental trajectories of spatial independence and social behavior in nine elephant calves across a range of ages. As calves aged, the probability of being further from mothers also increased. Tactile interactions were common among calves, with all individuals either initiating or receiving physical touches from other elephants in a large proportion of focal scans. While the probability of initiating tactile interactions tended to decline with increases in calf age, the probability of receiving tactile interactions from other elephants remained invariant with regard to this variable. The social play was also common, occurring in a fifth of all focal scans. While there was evidence that social play tended to decline with increases in calf age, results suggest additional factors may be useful in characterizing patterns in play behavior at the individual level. Calves most frequently engaged in play with individuals of similar age but showed substantial variation in play partner choice. Results of this study suggest that maintaining groups of elephants in captivity with diverse age structure positively contribute to their healthy social development.

80 Oh, daddy where are thou: Social context modifies foals’ behaviour differently for colts and fillies

Paternal care in mammals can have a wide range of displays. Stallions mostly invest in their offspring indirectly through herd defense and occasional play with the foals, but until recently this relationship had not been analyzed thoroughly. Recent research in semi-feral horses revealed unique social interactions between offspring and their sire, highlighting different attitude of mares and stallions toward the foals and vice versa. Here we present subsequent research focused on the variability of foals' behavior under different social context. Two herds of semi-feral Exmoor ponies in 3 different types of social groups were observed: SMF - stallion + mares + foals (under 1y of age) (1+14+13; 1+14+8, season 2016 and 2017), SMYF - stallion + mares + young (1–2y, both sexes) + foals (1+13+9+10; 1+14+10+13, season 2018) and MYF - mares + young (1–2y females only) + foals (14+6+11; 20+13+18, season 2020). Each type of group was observed for one season, approximately from April to October every 2 weeks (748 h and 8473 interactions in total, all observed years). All herd members were observed directly, by ad libitum sampling method, during sessions lasting 2–4 h throughout the daylight. Differences in the frequencies (χ 2 test) of 4 groups of behavior were calculated (friendly, agonistic, social play and snapping). Probabilities of occurrence in foal's behavior were studied through GLMM considering the effects of sex (colts vs. fillies), type of herd, and type of receiver of the interaction. The results show, that SMYF groups had lower aggressive ( P = 0.003) and social play ( P < 0.001) frequency than the other groups, but higher frequency of friendly and snapping behaviors (both P < 0.001). MYF groups showed significant drop in snapping ( P < 0.001) and increase in social play ( P < 0.001) frequency. For each social system studied, foals consistently preferred their peers for friendly and playful interactions over adults and young. However, fillies preferred colts as play partners over other fillies only when the stallion was present, while in herds with no stallion they significantly switched to same-sex partners. On the contrary, the behavior of foals to mares was constant in all 3 types of groups. The different social context of herds clearly influenced the behavior of the foals. One of the most notable outputs of this study is the influence of stallion presence on fillies’ behavior. The results indicate that the behavior of both sons and daughters may change when they grow up in groups without a father, which is highly relevant considering that these conditions are common in domestic horses’ husbandry.

The social and cultural genesis of collective imagination during infancy

A cultural-historical conception of children's development foregrounds imagination as the key psychological function. Yet, few empirical studies have explored the genesis and motivating conditions for the development of imagination. This paper explores the development of imagination as an inter-psychological activity in infants’ group settings and the early development of imagination as an intra-psychological function. Qualitative data were generated through an educational experiment that drew on a Conceptual PlayWorld: a collective model of practice for the development of play and imagination. Thirteen infants participated in the study. Visual methods were used for digital data collection and analysis. Diverse forms of imagining were mapped. Being in the imaginary situation as a play partner, the teacher introduced an advanced form of imagining into infants’ environment and invited infants to join collective forms of imagining. Infants recognized and responded to the invitations coming from the teacher and their peers and developed a motive orientation to collective imagining. Infants’ collective imagining with the adult was enriched and extended as well as developed in dialectic interrelations generating transformation of the group relations. The outcomes of the study advance theory about the early development of imagination and inform practice about the critical role of imagination in early years.

Risky Business: The Function of Play in a Venomous Mammal-The Javan Slow Loris (Nycticebus javanicus).

Immature mammals require opportunities to develop skills that will affect their competitive abilities and reproductive success as adults. One way these benefits may be achieved is through play behavior. While skills in developing use of tusks, antlers, and other weapons mammals have been linked to play, play in venomous animals has rarely been studied. Javan slow lorises (Nycticebus javanicus) use venom to aid in intraspecific competition, yet whether individuals use any behavioral mechanisms to develop the ability to use venom remains unclear. From April 2012 to December 2020, we recorded 663 play events and studied the factors influencing the frequency of play and the postures used during play in wild Javan slow lorises. Regardless of the presence of siblings, two thirds of play partners of young slow lorises were older and more experienced adults. Young lorises engaged in riskier behaviors during play, including using more strenuous postures and playing more in riskier conditions with increased rain and moonlight. We found that play patterns in immature lorises bear resemblance to venom postures used by adults. We suggest that play functions to train immature lorises to deal with future unexpected events, such as random attacks, as seen in other mammalian taxa with weapons. Given the importance of venom use for highly territorial slow lorises throughout their adult lives and the similarities between venom and play postures, we cannot rule out the possibility that play also prepares animals for future venomous fights. We provide here a baseline for the further exploration of the development of this unique behavior in one of the few venomous mammals.

You talkin’ to me? An assessment of commands as play signals during dog–human play

During play with a dog, humans commonly command the dog to engage in particular activities. How effective are commands during play, and do they serve as play signals? To answer this question, I examined commands issued to dogs by 21 familiar and 17 unfamiliar persons who played with a dog, and the dog's responses. Specifically, I examined dogs' actions following commands containing the words (in decreasing order of frequency) come/come here, go get/get/go, give/gimme, bring, look, and drop, to see if they satisfied the commands and whether play followed the commands. Dogs more often ignored than satisfied most commands during play interactions, and more often played than not following commands. However, dogs playing after commands as often satisfied as ignored a command, suggesting that commands do not serve as play signals. Play activity dogs were engaged in following commands, most commonly object-keepaway and chase the object, resulted in actions (e.g., getting closer or farther away from the play partner) that could either satisfy or not satisfy a given command. Commands were likely a response to dogs' activities, spoken to direct a dog to engage in a particular activity or exhort the dog to continue engaging in an activity that supported the human's play activities, rather than a play signal.

Looking deeper into the toy box: Understanding caregiver toy selection decisions

Children’s caregivers are their first play partners, and toys influence the quality of these caregiver-child interactions—with research suggesting that electronic toys are not as supportive of these interactions as traditional toys. In this study, we investigate (1) toy use amongst caregivers and infants, with an eye towards investigating the prevalence of traditional vs. electronic toys, (2) caregivers’ preferences when selecting electronic or traditional toys for their children and (3) whether caregivers’ choices are impacted by the claims made by toy manufacturers. Sixty-three primary caregivers participated in a survey asking about their toy selection decisions. Results demonstrate the prevalence of electronic toys (even for the youngest infants) as well as caregivers’ preferences and the potential of toy descriptions to impact caregivers’ toy purchasing decisions. Despite scientific evidence that there may be a developmental cost to electronic toys relative to traditional toys, after highlighting the toys’ developmental benefits, caregivers became more likely to select electronic toys for their infant.

Assessing the play and learning environments of children under two years in peri-urban Lima, Peru: a formative research study

BackgroundHome-based interventions have potential for improving early child development (ECD) in low-resource settings. The design of locally acceptable strategies requires an in-depth understanding of the household context. In this formative research study, we aimed to characterize the home play and learning environments of children 6–23 months of age from low-income households in peri-urban Lima, Peru.MethodsDrawing on the developmental niche framework, we used quantitative and qualitative methods to understand children’s physical and social settings, childcare practices, and caregiver perspectives. We conducted interviews, unstructured video-recorded observations, and spot-checks with 30 randomly selected caregiver-child dyads, 10 from each child age group of 6–11, 12–17, and 18–23 months of age, as well as key informant interviews with 12 daycare instructors. We analyzed the data for key trends and themes using Stata and ATLAS.ti and employed an adapted version of the Indicator of Parent-Child Interaction to evaluate the observations.ResultsChildren’s social settings were characterized by multi-generational homes and the presence of siblings and cousins as play partners. Access to books and complex hand-eye coordination toys (e.g., puzzles, building blocks) in the home was limited (30.0 and 40.0%, respectively). Caregivers generally demonstrated low or inconsistent levels of interaction with their children; they rarely communicated using descriptive language or introduced novel, stimulating activities during play. Reading and telling stories to children were uncommon, yet 93.3% of caregivers reported singing to children daily. On average, caregivers ascribed a high learning value to reading books and playing with electronic toys (rated 9.7 and 9.1 out of 10, respectively), and perceived playing with everyday objects in the home as less beneficial (rated 6.8/10). Daycare instructors reinforced the problems posed by limited caregiver-child interaction and supported the use of songs for promoting ECD.ConclusionsThe features of the home learning environments highlighted here indicate several opportunities for intervention development to improve ECD. These include encouraging caregivers to communicate with children using full sentences and enhancing the use of everyday objects as toys. There is also great potential for leveraging song and music to encourage responsive caregiver-child interactions within the home setting.

Partners in play: Exploring ‘playing with’ children living with severe physical and intellectual disabilities

Introduction Play occupation is central to children’s occupational lives and play is established as a fundamental right. While children with disabilities are at increased risk of play deprivation, few studies have explored the play occupation of children living with severe physical and intellectual disabilities. Method Informed by an ethnographic approach, this qualitative study involved 17 participants including five families of children with severe disabilities and six classroom staff. Methods combined observations of children’s play with adult interviews and focus groups to explore factors that influence play in home and school contexts. Findings were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings Three themes emerged: (a) play as an occupation, play as an activity; (b) an empowered and empowering play partner; (c) the ‘just-right’ play object and environment. Conclusion The influence of an empowering and empowered play partner combined with the suitability of the object and environment was central to successful play. A commitment to play for fun, for the wellbeing of these children, and by ‘playing with’ and not ‘doing-to’ the child was fundamental. Although the findings are specific to this study, play facilitators may use them to inform future play interactions through an enhanced understanding of empowerment and enablement for successful play occupation.

A naturalistic method to test depression: Anticipation of play

The Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rat was developed as a control for the spontaneous hypertensive rat but has subsequently also been used as a genetic animal model of depression due to its hyper-responsiveness to stress. We used anticipation of social reward (i.e., a play partner) to assess behavioural and vocal differences between the WKY and normal Wistar (WI) rats in the juvenile period. We found marked differences between groups; the WKY rats, were less active, vocalized less, and used significantly fewer types of 50-kHz calls in comparison to their WI counterparts. The animals were re-tested in adulthood and the same differences existed in overall activity, types of vocalizations and the behavioural vocal profiles used by the two groups of animals. These findings provide a robust baseline for an animal model of depression using a social paradigm. This paradigm may be useful to evaluate the efficacy of pharmaceutical interventions as potential treatments of depression in WKY rats.

Progress Toward an Early Social Indicator for Infants and Toddlers

Measures of young children’s social development are needed in the Multi-Tier System of Supports (MTSS) approach to early childhood. In 2004, we reported initial development of an observational measure of infants’ and toddlers’ social skills designed for early educators, the Early Social Indicator (ESI). Here, we report preliminary findings on the ESI’s feasibility, sustainability, and sensitivity to growth in social engagement based on a large, multiyear sample of children in one early childhood program that agreed to pilot the measure. Results indicated that ESI use by program staff was sustained over a 5-year period. Program staff were reliable coding a range of children’s positive and negative nonverbal and verbal social skills. However, staff were not reliable when coding the target of a child’s social response when it was not the Adult play partner (i.e., the Peer, or Nondirected target). Results documented sensitivity to growth over time, dynamic patterns of change within and across key skills consistent with the typical course of social development, and moderation by children’s home language and Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) status. Implications are discussed.

The Play Differences of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Within Sibling and Nonsibling Peer Dyads

Abstract Date Presented 03/26/20 Peer-mediated interventions are effective for children with ASD. We investigated the difference in play performance of 68 children with ASD playing with a sibling versus a nonsibling peer. Test of Playfulness scores were significantly higher with a nonsibling play partner. Two social items explained much of the difference: "support of playmate" and "response to play cues," indicating these need to be a focus of intervention for sibling dyads. Primary Author and Speaker: Cally Kent Contributing Authors: Reinie Cordier, Annette Joosten, Sarah Wilkes-Gillan, Anita Bundy