Originally published in 1984, a major purpose of this book was to bring together in a single volume, work that reflects the wide range of interests that social and behavioural scientists have in play, development and the environment.

Foreword James E. Johnson 1. Selected Introductory Notes on Child’s Play as Developmental and Applied Thomas D. Yawkey 2. Contributions of Play to Development Irene Athey 3. The Phenomenon of Bipolarity in Play Theories Brian Sutton-Smith and Diana Kelly-Byrne 4. Imaginative Play: Deficit or Difference? Helen B. Schwartzman 5. The Play of Handicapped Children Joanne M. Quinn and Kenneth H. Rubin 6. Methodological Issues in Studying Early Pretend Play Lorraine McCune-Nicolich and Larry Fenson 7. Objects, Symbols, and the Substitutes: The Nature of the Cognitive Activity During Symbolic Play Carol E. Copple, Rodney R. Cocking and Wendy S. Matthews 8. The Self-Building Potential of Pretend Play or "I Got a Fish, All by Myself" Greta G. Fein 9. Relationships between Exploration and Play Joachim F. Wohlwill 10. The Social Context of Exploratory Play Bruce B. Henderson 11. Play, Novelty, and Stimulus Seeking Michael J. Ellis 12. Play, Incongruity and Humor Paul E. McGhee 13. The Effects of Exploration and Play on Young Children’s Associative Fluency: A Review and Extension of Training Studies Anthony D. Pellegrini 14. Play in Public School Settings: A Philosophical Question Carl D. Glickman 15. Play in Developmental Preschool Settings Nancy E. Curry and Sara H. Arnaud 16. Play Therapy in Counselling Settings Louise F. Guerney 17. Play in Hospital Settings Rosemary Bolig 18. Creative Dramatic Play and Language Comprehension Peter A. Williamson and Steven B. Silvern 19. Effects of Realistic and Unrealistic Props on Symbolic Play Bruce L. Mann. Author Index. Subject Index.