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Cited by 1,094Primate Behavior and EcologyAnimal Behavior and ReproductionChild and Animal Learning Development

The Genesis of Animal Play: Testing the Limits

Open access
Burghardt, Gordon M.·2005·The MIT Press eBooks
DOI 10.7551/mitpress/3229.001.0001
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Abstract

In The Genesis of Animal Play, Gordon Burghardt examines the origins and evolution of play in humans and animals. He asks what play might mean in our understanding of evolution, the brain, behavioral organization, and psychology. Is play essential to development? Is it the driving force behind human and animal behavior? What is the proper place for the study of play in the cognitive, behavioral, and biological sciences? The engaging nature of play—who does not enjoy watching a kitten attack a ball of yarn?—has made it difficult to study. Some scholars have called play undefinable, nonexistent, or a mystery outside the realm of scientific analysis. Using the comparative perspectives of ethology and psychology, The Genesis of Animal Play goes further than other studies in reviewing the evidence of play throughout the animal kingdom, from human babies to animals not usually considered playful. Burghardt finds that although playfulness may have been essential to the origin of much that we consider distinctive in human (and mammalian) behavior, it only develops through a specific set of interactions among developmental, evolutionary, ecological, and physiological processes. Furthermore, play is not always beneficial or adaptive. Part I offers a detailed discussion of play in placental mammals (including children) and develops an integrative framework called surplus resource theory. The most fascinating and most controversial sections of the book, perhaps, are in the seven chapters in part II in which Burghardt presents evidence of playfulness in such unexpected groups of animals as kangaroos, birds, lizards, and "Fish That Leap, Juggle, and Tease." Burghardt concludes by considering the implications of the diversity of play for future research, and suggests that understanding the origin and development of play can shape our view of society and its accomplishments through history. The open access edition of this book was made possible by generous funding from Arcadia – a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin.

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Crossref · 10.7551/mitpress/3229.001.0001

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  • Social play is predominantly displayed among juveniles of both sexes across many mammalian species.

    “Social play (also referred to as play-fighting or rough-and-tumble play) is predominantly displayed among juveniles of both sexes across many mammalian species (Bekoff and Byers, 1998; Pellis and Iwaniuk, 2000; Burghardt, 2005).”

    From Sex-specific modulation of juvenile social play behavior by vasopressin and oxytocin depends on social context (2014) · cites this paper as Burghardt, 2005

  • Playful contexts produce different types of play (e.g., solitary and/or social play) which are characterized by repeated yet non-stereotypic sequences of behavior.

    “Playful contexts produce different types of play (e.g., solitary and/or social play) which are characterized by repeated yet non-stereotypic sequences of behavior (Burghardt, 2005).”

    From Play in Rats: Association across Contexts and Types, and Analysis of Structure (2014) · cites this paper as Burghardt, 2005

  • Different types of play may have had independent evolutionary origins and trajectories.

    “supporting the theory that different types of play may have had independent evolutionary origins and trajectories (Burghardt, 2005).”

    From Play in Rats: Association across Contexts and Types, and Analysis of Structure (2014) · cites this paper as Burghardt, 2005

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Authors
Burghardt, G. M.
Corresponding author
Burghardt, Gordon M.
ORCID
Burghardt, Gordon M.
Venue
The MIT Press eBooks
Publisher
The MIT Press
Published
2005-02-04
DOI
10.7551/mitpress/3229.001.0001
OpenAlex
W4235808493
Cited by
1,094
References
28
Citations by year
2026: 47 · 2025: 80 · 2024: 53 · 2023: 73 · 2022: 71 · 2021: 59 · 2020: 60 · 2019: 97 · 2018: 84 · 2017: 64 · 2016: 51 · 2015: 61 · 2014: 64 · 2013: 39 · 2012: 36
FWCI
19.86
Type
book
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
The MIT Press eBooks (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
Keywords
animal play, evolution of play, playfulness, placental mammals, human development, comparative ethology

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