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The ontogeny and phylogeny of children’s object and fantasy play

Human Nature volume 15, pages 23–43 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

We examine the ontogeny and phylogeny of object and fantasy play from a functional perspective. Each form of play is described from an evolutionary perspective in terms of its place in the total time and energy budgets of human and nonhuman juveniles. As part of discussion of functions of play, we examine sex differences, particularly as they relate to life in the environment of evolutionary adaptedness and economic activities of human and nonhuman primates. Object play may relate to foraging activities. Although fantasy play has been viewed as limited to humans, we speculate that certain types of fantasy play may be present in some nonhuman primates. Fantasy play may enable juveniles to see situations from different perspectives. We conclude that fantasy play may have immediate effects and object play may have deferred effects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Florida Atlantic University, USA

    David F. Bjorklund

  2. Department of Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota, 214 Burton Hall, 55455, Minneapolis, MN

    A. D. Pellegrini

Authors
  1. A. D. Pellegrini
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  2. David F. Bjorklund
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. D. Pellegrini.

Additional information

This research was partially supported with grants from the W. T. Grant Foundation and the Spencer Foundation to the first author. A previous version of this paper was presented in a symposium of the biennial meetings of the Society for Research in Child Development, Minneapolis, April 2001.

Anthony D. Pellegrini is a professor of educational psychology at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus. He received his Ph.D. from Ohio State University in 1978 and has been studying play since that point. Other research interests include adolescent aggression and social affordances in early literacy learning.

David F. Bjorklund, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at Florida Atlantic University. He is the author of Children’s Thinking: Developmental Function and Individual Differences (Belmont, California: Wadsworth, fourth ed., 2004). His research interests include cognitive development and evolutionary developmental psychology.

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Pellegrini, A.D., Bjorklund, D.F. The ontogeny and phylogeny of children’s object and fantasy play. Hum Nat 15, 23–43 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-004-1002-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-004-1002-z

Key words

  • Fantasy
  • Function
  • Human development
  • Object play