Play (LECTURE 7)

Question 1

From infancy we assume that other people act in _______ ways, such that they will choose the most _______ way to achieve their goals — the one with the lowest cost

Answer 1

Rational, efficient

Question 2

Babies are ______ when people violate rationality or efficiency principles

Answer 2

Surprised

Question 3

Children make _______ inferences when people violate rationality or efficient principles

Answer 3

Different

Question 4

Play - The willingness to adopt arbitrary rewards and ______ __________ ________, leading to systematically different behavior than in other forms of ________, ____-_____ __________

Answer 4

The willingness to adopt arbitrary rewards and incur unnecessary costs, leading to systematically different behavior than in other forms of intentional, goal directed behavior

Question 5

Why do people play? (6)

Answer 5

1. For fun!
2. For performance
3. For peacemaking
4. For practice
5. For prediction and plans
6. For problems/proposals

Question 6

Why might we play for fun?

Answer 6

It gives us pleasure!

Question 7

Why might we play for performance?

Answer 7

It could be a honest signal of health and fitness since play is costly in both.

Animals play only when they are healthy, well fed, and safe, and stop playing when they are injured or under stress

Question 8

Why might we play for peacemaking?

Answer 8

It could reduce within-group aggression and increase within-group coordination

Question 9

Why would play reduce within-group aggression or increase within-group coordination? Name some examples

Answer 9

Pack and herd animals can evaluate one another’s strengths and establish hierarchies through play (avoid riskier fights that would weaken the group)

Attention to signals in play e.g. posture, might support coordination in later hunting/fending off predators

Question 10

Why would we play for practice?

Answer 10

It can help children master skills critical for adulthood! E.g. cooking set —> cooking in the future!

Question 11

Why do we play for prediction/plans?

Answer 11

It reduces uncertainty and increases ability to predict events in the world!

Question 12

Children’s exploratory play is closely calibrated to their ______

Answer 12

Uncertainty - time played varies within difficulty of discrimination problems

Question 13

Why might we play for problems/proposals? (3)

Answer 13

We create problems for ourselves to achieve arbitrary rewards

1. It can help constrain goals/what to focus on as next steps
2. generate new ideas and plans in an uncertain/complex world
3. creating new problems with no obvious usefulness may be the best way to discover new things

Question 14

If there was a task where you had to create a game to win and there were these categories _______, how do we maximize fun?
1. Penalty
2. Blocks
3. Resolution
4. Distance
5. Autonomy
6. Novelty
7. Randomness
8. Character

Answer 14

1. Make it harder!
2. Have more blocks!
3. More resolution
4. Further distance
5. Medium autonomy
6. Lots of novelty!
7. Randomness is eh
8. Characters are fun!