In honor of Stanley A. Kuczaj, II
June 12-14, 2016 | Chicago, Illinois, USA

Stanley A. Kuczaj, II
University of Southern Mississippi
(1951-2016)
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Organizers: |
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Lance Miller
Chicago Zoological
Society -
Brookfield Zoo
Email
Website
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Alex de Voogt
American Museum of
Natural History in
New York
Email
Website
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38 shades of play: A digital event on the science of a
diverse and pervasive behavior
We all know what it means to play. We play badminton, we play with others, we are playfully exploring an environment…. Come to think of it, there is so much to playing, what does it mean to play? According to the Oxford English dictionary, the word “play” has a total of 38 meanings – ranging from 28 shades of the verb to 10 variants of the noun. On top of that, play is not just confined to humans but is also common across many animal species.
This digital event focused on the psychology of play. The event coincided with the publication of a special issue of Learning & Behavior on The Evolutionary and Psychological Significance of Play. The issue was guest edited by Alex De Voogt (American Museum of Natural History) and Lance Miller (Chicago Zoological Society).
Read the Posts
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Description
This Psychonomic Society Leading Edge Workshop will explore the evolutionary and psychological significance of play. Although members of a myriad array of species play, all play is not the same. Species that play differ in terms of the forms and functions of their play and so it is possible that the evolutionary benefits of play vary from species to species. If so, is it the case that the evolutionary significance of play varies systematically, with additional benefits being added as species increase in cognitive or social complexity? Or are the benefits of play distributed more equally across the animal kingdom? Answers to these questions are necessary in order to determine the general evolutionary significance of play as well as its unique benefits for individual species. Of course, the evolutionary and psychological significance of play are intimately connected. The play of individuals as well as species varies, and the consequences of individual variation as well as the implications of species differences must be considered to ascertain the manner in which play influences an individual’s survival and reproductive fitness. In order to build a coherent framework that integrates research on individual differences with that on species differences, the proposed workshop will bring together scientists from the fields of animal behavior, animal welfare, anthropology, neuroscience, evolutionary biology and psychology to define play and its significance.
Participants
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Cindy Dell
Clark
Pennsylvania
State University |
Alex de Voogt
American
Museum of
Natural History |
Vladimir Dinets
University of
Tennessee,
Knoxville |
Tracy Gleason
Wellesley
College |
Fernand Gobet
University of
Liverpool |
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Artin Goncu
University of
Illinois at
Chicago |
Martine
Hausberger
University of
Rennes |
Heather Hill
St. Mary's
University |
Angeline
Lillard
University of
Virginia |
Lance Miller
Chicago
Zoological
Society -
Brookfield Zoo |
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Mathias Osvath
Lund University |
Elisabetta
Palagi
University of
Pisa |
Jaak Panksepp
Washington
State University |
Sergio Pellis
University of
Lethbridge |
Jeff Rushen
University of
British
Columbia |
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Marek Špinka
Institute of
Animal Science,
Czechia |
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