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Play, problem-solving and tool use: Individual differences in preschool children

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Date Issued:
2001
Summary:
While recent research has promoted play as an integral component of a child's cognitive functioning, tool-use has been relatively ignored in this discussion. It may be the case that these two abilities, especially constructive play and problem solving through the use of tools, emerging early in a child's life, have some connection in the formation of higher cognitive processing. From an evolutionary developmental perspective, three-year old children were observed in two free-play sessions and participated in a toy-retrieval task. Results indicate boys engaged in more constructive play than girls and were more likely to use tools to solve a problem. Also, the findings suggest that the gender difference observed reflects a bias in motivation to interact with objects, with the amount of time spent in constructive play predicting performance on the tool-use task, suggesting that much of the variance in the gender difference in tool use can be attributed to experience in constructive play. This is consistent with the evolutionary theoretical idea that boys' and girls' play styles evolved to prepare them for adult life in traditional environments.
Title: Play, problem-solving and tool use: Individual differences in preschool children.
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Name(s): Gredlein, Jeffrey Michael
Florida Atlantic University, Degree Grantor
Bjorklund, David F., Thesis Advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 2001
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 46 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: While recent research has promoted play as an integral component of a child's cognitive functioning, tool-use has been relatively ignored in this discussion. It may be the case that these two abilities, especially constructive play and problem solving through the use of tools, emerging early in a child's life, have some connection in the formation of higher cognitive processing. From an evolutionary developmental perspective, three-year old children were observed in two free-play sessions and participated in a toy-retrieval task. Results indicate boys engaged in more constructive play than girls and were more likely to use tools to solve a problem. Also, the findings suggest that the gender difference observed reflects a bias in motivation to interact with objects, with the amount of time spent in constructive play predicting performance on the tool-use task, suggesting that much of the variance in the gender difference in tool use can be attributed to experience in constructive play. This is consistent with the evolutionary theoretical idea that boys' and girls' play styles evolved to prepare them for adult life in traditional environments.
Identifier: 9780493097633 (isbn), 12740 (digitool), FADT12740 (IID), fau:12619 (fedora)
Note(s): Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2001.
Subject(s): Problem solving in children
Sex differences (Psychology) in children
Play assessment (Child psychology)
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FADT12740
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.