ABSTRACT
The work reported in this volume developed as an extension of the 33rd annual meeting of the Jean Piaget Society. The principal goal of the volume (as it was of the meeting) is to examine the uncontested assumption that play is a unique and universal activity in humans with significant developmental outcomes. Three separate lines of research converged as being relevant for unpacking the meaning of this assumption and examining its consequences for the future of play research. One line of research examines the unique universality assumption from an ethological perspective by seeking to establish continuities and discontinuities in play within and across different species. A second line of research questions the universality assumption in view of ever-growing knowledge of the extent to which play is socially and culturally constructed and supported. Finally, a third line of work seeks to examine the universality assumption by considering the specifics of varied applications of play in children’s lives in order to illuminate the paths that play follows in different contexts of childhood.
