Psychological Approaches to the Study of Play •

In this survey of the research on psychological approaches to play, the author outlines its various focuses on the similarities and di†erences in the thinking and behavior of individuals and groups in relation to play and on the environmental factors that in‡uence these. She notes that although psychologists oˆen use standard experimental research methods to study play, they also conduct studies based on direct observations, interviews, and other qualitative activities. ‰ese researchers, she notes, have been particularly interested in testing theories of play, developing systems to explain playful behavior, and understanding how play in‡uences education and child rearing and their e†ect on development and learning. ‰e author also surveys researchers from other disciplines, such as philosophy, ethology, anthropology, linguistics, and education, who have studied the psychology of play. ‰ey, she concludes, oˆen employ research methods similar to those used by psychologists, and thus their work, too, has contributed to a psychological understanding of the thinking and behavior related to play and the environments that encourage it.