Peter Gray is a research professor of psychology and neuroscience at Boston College who has conducted and published research in behavioral biology, developmental psychology, anthropology, and education. He is author of multiple editions of an internationally acclaimed introductory psychology textbook (Psychology, Worth Publishers), which views all of psychology from an evolutionary perspective. Most of his research over the past 30 years focuses on the role of play in human evolution and development, and especially on how children educate themselves through self-directed play and exploration, when free to do so. He has expanded on these ideas in his book,Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life (Basic Books), which has been translated into 18 languages. He also authors a blog called Freedom to Learn, for Psychology Today magazine and a Substack series entitled Play Makes Us Human. He is one of the founders of the nonprofit Let Grow, the mission of which is to renew children’s freedom to play and explore independently of adult control. You can follow him on Facebook and find many of his published articles on his website .
Most Influential Work:
- Psychology (Macmillan Learning – 8th edition 2018; with David F. Bjorklund) This rigorous yet accessible introductory textbook is a widely respected classroom favorite that invites and stimulates students to investigate the big ideas in psychological science.
- Free to Learn (Basic Books, 2013) argues that in order to foster children who will thrive in a constantly changing world, we must entrust them to steer their own learning and development.
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