The development of sexually dimorphic book-carrying behavior
We demonstrate that book-carrying behavior in grade school, junior high, high school, and college is sexually dimorphic. A book-carrying category system containing eight categories was
We demonstrate that book-carrying behavior in grade school, junior high, high school, and college is sexually dimorphic. A book-carrying category system containing eight categories was
Heuristics provide insight into the inconsistencies that characterize thinking related to the use of nonhuman animals. We examine paradoxes in judgments and policy related to
Wallace Craig’s “Appetites and Aversions as Constituents of Instincts, ” one of the seminal articles in animal behavior, comparative psychology, and ethology, appeared 100 years
Although play occurs in a wide variety of animals, models of the origins of play behavior are lacking. We propose a novel computational model exploring
The sources of individual differences in human and non-human animals remain controversial. We demonstrate that diet and genetics interact in determining the ontogenetic trajectory of
On the third day of life, four groups of eight chicks each were given either rape or canary seed, exclusively. The following day the chicks
Play and ritual, as usually defined, seem to be disparate phenomena, one focused on freedom and flexibility, the other on formality and rigidity. In actuality,
Social learning is considered one of the hallmarks of cognition. Observers learn from demonstrators that a particular behavior pattern leads to a specific consequence or
Giving captive animals the opportunity to interact with objects in a “playful ” manner is often considered a method of environmental enrichment. However, the occurrence
Social play is a fundamental aspect of behavioral development in many species. Social play deprivation in rats alters dendritic morphology in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex
In several rodent species social play appears to be necessary for proper deployment of species-specific patterns of aggressive and reproductive behavior. Specifically, in male Syrian
Whether play occurs in fishes has long been a contentious issue, but recent observations document that social, object, and locomotor play can all be found
Introduction to the book: The brain of cephalopods rivals that of the vertebrates in relative size, being as large as or larger than the brains
There has been a recent resurgence of interest in the study of play behavior, marked by much empirical research and theoretical review. These efforts suggest
Charles Darwin made numerous seminal contributions to the study of animal behavior over his long career. This essay places these contributions in the context of
Juvenile animals of many species engage in social play, but its functional significance is not well understood. This is especially true for a type of
In the socially polymorphic spider Anelosimus studiosus, males mature early in the reproductive season and recruit to the webs of juvenile females and guard them
Casualties and impediments inflicted on consumers by defended prey, and vice versa, may be averted by vocalizations, postures, coloration, scents, and other warning, or so-called
We very much value the integrative formulation of the neural basis of the seeking system put forth by Wright & Panksepp, but we have several
In many mammal species, precocious sexual behaviour is a component of play. A recent model for the evolution of play fighting behaviour in muroid rodents
Join our newsletter to stay up to date on the latest in play.
NIFPlay and Dr. Stuart Brown have been featured in these media outlets (and more!)
The Institute wants the world to know:
A) Playing, being playful, is the healthiest way to spend your time (after feeding and housing yourself).
B) The activities that evoke playful feelings are unique to each of us.
© Copyright 2007-2025. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy.
National Institute for Play is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, public benefit corporation.
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement | 1 year | Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertising" category. |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertising | 1 year | This cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertising". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional | 11 months | The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other." |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". |
CookieLawInfoConsent | 1 year | Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie. |
PHPSESSID | session | This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed. |
ts | 3 years | PayPal sets this cookie to enable secure transactions through PayPal. |
ts_c | 3 years | PayPal sets this cookie to make safe payments through PayPal. |
viewed_cookie_policy | 11 months | The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data. |
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
_ga | 2 years | The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors. |
_ga_QG5Y14178J | 2 years | This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. |
_gat_gtag_UA_159087048_1 | 1 minute | Set by Google to distinguish users. |
_gid | 1 day | Installed by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously. |
CONSENT | 2 years | YouTube sets this cookie via embedded videos and registers anonymous statistical data. |