Abstract
The conceptual confusion surrounding the study of children’s play is widely acknowledged. In this paper it is argued that a major cause is the tendency for writers to emphasize the spontaneity of play, thus distracting attention from the antecedents of playful acts. A tendency to use metaphorical rather than behavioral concepts is also regarded as unhelpful. An alternative approach is advocated which involves treating play in the context of the individual’s “reactional biography,” that is, as the emergent history of interaction with the environment. Whilst judgment of the viability of such an approach must await the availability of data derived from longitudinal behavioral observation, an initial estimate of the approach is offered, based on a reanalysis of data reported by Jean Piaget.
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Cornwell, D., Hobbs, S. Spontaneous Play in Childhood. Psychol Rec 36, 161–166 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03394937
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03394937