8 
This is a condensed version of a larger article that appeared in the American Journal of Play (Gray, 2009).Analysis of the anthropological literature suggests that hunter-gatherers use play and humor, more or less deliberately, to make their highly egalitarian mode of existence possible. Their methods of governance and sharing, religious beliefs and practices, and productive […]
5 
Background It was hypothesized that playfulness in adults (i.e., the predisposition to play) is robustly associated with the “good character.” Playfulness in adults can be tested via a global cognitive evaluation and an instrument for distinguishing five different facets of playful behaviors (spontaneous, expressive, creative, fun, and silly). Character strengths can be assessed within the […]
6 
As astutely noted by the authors of this provocative article, it is time for evolutionary psychology (EP) to be incorporated into clinical and educational interventions. However, two issues from this article are raised in the current commentary: some historical misconceptions of the evolutionary label and a lack of clear and specific guidelines for developing or […]
6 
The aim of this cross-sectional study was to test the idea that the psychopathic trait “Fearless dominance ” (FD) may be associated with reduced psychological stress symptoms and better stress coping strategies in psychiatric patients, whereas the factor “Self-centered impulsivity ” (SCI) may be associated with more stress and maladaptive stress coping. The investigation included […]
5 
The social meanings of play sit at odds with norms of responsible and productive adult conduct. To be “caught ” playing as an adult therefore risks embarrassment. Still, many designers want to create enjoyable, nonembarrassing play experiences for adults. To address this need, this article reads instances of spontaneous adult play through the lens of […]
5 
Some comments are appended to Patrick Bateson’s reflections on the future of behavioral biology that were triggered by remembering the contributions of G¸nter Tembrock to ethology. While the suggestions made are valid and insightful, a few specific areas where exciting research possibilities may reside are added including those involving communication and language, culture and ritual, […]
4 
There has been a perennial debate about whether aggression is learned or innate. The power of extreme arguments in this area has diminished as all are beginning to recognize that both evolution and learning contribute much to our tendency to be aggressive in various distinct ways, including impulsive anger, premeditated predatory behavior in its many […]
4
Since the 1970s, texts on research methods in animal behavior advocate that researchers minimize potential observer bias in their studies. One way to minimize possible bias is to record or score behavioral data blind to treatment, group, or individual. Another way to reduce bias is for researchers to analyze subsets or entire sets of data […]
4 
Location-based games use smartphones and other location-aware devices to incorporate their players’ actions in everyday, physical spaces – the streets and public spaces of the city – into the virtual world of the game. Scholars and designers of these games often claim that they reconfigure their players’ relationship with the people and environment around them. […]
4 Two volunteer BEd student teachers in their fourth year of a BEd degree at a metropolitan university in the Western Cape of South Africa designed and taught lessons to two classes of the same age and ability in grade 7 (ages 12-13), using drama role-plays (intervention) and more conventional non-drama methods (control). Lessons were observed […]
4 
This study examined associations between father involvement and father- child attachment security, and whether those associations differed as a function of timing (workday and nonworkday) and/or type (accessibility, caregiving, and play) of involvement. Eighty father- child dyads participated when children were approximately 3 years old. Fathers completed a time diary interview assessing the various forms […]
4 
This plausible group-selection model should aid the conceptual integration of the natural and social sciences, but testing in vertebrates is needed. The history of the vehicles-of-selection debate is compared with the controversy over the readmission of innate behavior and genetics to a respectable position in behavioral study. In the spirit of Wilson & Sober a […]
4 
The author examined whether game play improves students’ comprehension, attendance, and exam performance. The author designed three games; 120 students in introductory microeconomics classes participated in these experiments. The evidence showed that game play enhances students’ attendance, comprehension, and exam performance. It also showed that attendance and exam performance are positively correlated, implying that game […]
3 
Mythic symbolic type is a unique cultural structure that permits no exit to the one who has lost his “self ” to it. The semi-commune Little Home housed a community of mythic symbolic types which engendered a ritual of their own in which the men trapped within the type moved between its two edges, purity […]
3 
As an ongoing practice, work can never be fully accounted for or described. Furthermore, the notion of play is often situated in opposition to work in Western cultures – as though work and play cannot occur simultaneously or even within the same location. In this article, we engage in a bit of a quandary – […]
3
Welcome to the Adult Play Special Issue. In this introduction, we (the editors) explain the origin of the collection and our unique take on what adult play means as a term. Rather than be specifically about sexual play, the term adult is taken here to reference the age of players. The article included how adults […]
3 
Play is an important part of life, not only during childhood but also into adulthood and later life. While scholars have emphasized the physical, social, psychological, and cognitive benefits of play for children, few researchers have explored the role of play in later life. One context in which aging adults find opportunities to play is […]
7
Play and playfulness are enigmatic from an evolutionary perspective as it is not obvious that they provide any survival or reproductive benefits. Indeed, animals engaged in play can be injured or even killed, waste energy that could presumably be better put to other uses, or open themselves to predation through reduced vigilance. Play fighting can […]
7
The world of iPods, mobile telephones, portable wireless computers, and devices of every description, including toys that contain computer chips, memory, voice recognition, and interactive connectivity has forever changed the landscape of play. User-generated content allows players not only to play, but to shape the games they play, and by so doing shape the effects […]
8
To look deeply at play, and to place it in evolutionary, biological, cultural and contemporary context is to partially answer the question, what, really does it mean to be fully human? Or, to state it another way, if play is lost or missing, in a complex changing and demanding world, are there serious negative consequences […]
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