Investigating the Reward Cycle of Play in Pigs (Sus scrofa)

Observations of play in animals have been suggested as a promising indicator of positive emotions and thus of positive animal welfare. However, if play can follow the proposed reward cycle concept where animals estimate and value reward differently in different phases of the cycle (anticipation, consummation and post-consummation) is unclear. To investigate if a reward cycle for play exists in growing pigs, we carried out an exploratory study where pigs were tested when they were naïve to a reward cycle test (first occasion) against when they were accustomed to going through the test after having the access to an open play arena with objects. Forty undocked pigs were housed in a weaner stable with two castrated males and two females per pen. Within each litter, we randomly selected and tested one male and one female test pig, each being tested as naïve or accustomed to the testing environment. The first week the pigs (n = 20) were tested four times and regarded as naïve during the first day. After that they were regarded as accustomed, and were tested twice a week for 3 weeks. We observed the behavior of the tested pairs in three subsequent stages: (1) in a holding pen 3 min, (2) in a play arena 15 min, and (3) in their home pen 10 min. When accustomed, pigs showed more locomotor play, social interactions and standing, and a tendency of more orientation toward the play arena and exploring bars facing the play arena (i.e., reward-seeking behavior) in the holding pen than when they were naïve, suggesting an anticipation to enter the play arena. Performing high numbers of object play in all sessions, and for accustomed pigs more exploration and social interaction, but less locomotor play and walking in the play arena may suggest consumption of play and exploration. Finding more lying and sitting in accustomed pigs, but less standing and walking in the home pen is in line with the previous hypothesis of the post-consummatory behaviors. Our study showed mixed results for the existence of a reward cycle for play in pigs and generated questions for future research.

Wolf Use of Humanmade Objects During Pup-rearing

Some animals use humanmade objects for building and constructing nests or shelter and even for play. Gray wolves (Canis lupus) gather and use humanmade objects discovered in their natural environment. Gathering humanmade objects is a peculiar behavior particularly when there is no immediately apparent benefit to survival or reproduction. I opportunistically documented 46 different types of humanmade objects with plastic bottles and aluminum cans being the most common items found at wolf pup-rearing sites. Many objects were made of materials that appeared suitable to alleviate pain in teething pups. For some objects, however, it was not immediately obvious that they would alleviate teething pain due to their unpliable material. Additionally, such objects were quite rare in wolves’ natural environment although it was not uncommon to find them at pup-rearing sites. Rare humanmade objects may provide a novelty that stimulates pups more than common objects. I hypothesize that objects used by wolf pups 1) alleviate pain from teething, and 2) provide adults respite from energetic pups. The latter is an important distinction because it implies the benefit of object play is to the adults and not the pups per se. Gathering novel objects that occupy energetic and hungry pups may influence the overall ability of social carnivores to leave young unattended while they hunt, to rest upon their return, and ultimately rear young successfully.

One-year old infants control bottom-up saliencies to purposely sustain attention

Salient stimuli attract gaze [1,2]. Mature perceivers internally suppress salient distractors to purposefully sustain attention on a visual target. Infants’ abilities to purposefully sustain gaze on an object, often measured in the context of play, is also assumed to require the internal suppression of distractors and is considered an early marker and risk point in the development of the internal regulatory processes mediated by the pre-frontal cortex [3,4]. Here we show that sustained attention by one-year-old infants includes a behavior-driven increase in the external salience of the target. Using head-mounted eye trackers, we measured infants’ gaze during object play and the momentary visual size of objects in the infant’s field of view. Visual size is well-known to robustly attract gaze [1]. We found that when infants directed gaze to an object, there was a simultaneous change in the the spatial relation of the head to the attended object increasing the target’s visual size relative to distractors. The onset, duration, and offset of the increased salience was time-locked with the onset, duration and offset of infant gaze to the object. The findings challenge characterizations of infant attention as a competition between bottom-up and top-down control and implicate instead a collaboration in which top-down goals drive infant’s externally-directed behaviors that suppress the salience of distractors at input. The top-down control of attention through externally directed behavior may serve as the training ground –and risk factor – in the development of internal control.

Humpback Whale Instigates Object Play with a Lion’s Mane Jellyfish

Cetaceans are well-known for their intelligence, charismatic nature, and curiosity. Many species, particularly odontocetes, are known to investigate and manipulate novel objects they encounter. Yet, disentangling the drivers of these behaviors and distinguishing between those that are simply playful and those which serve a specific function remains challenging due to a lack of direct observations and detailed descriptions of behaviors. This is particularly true for mysticetes such as humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), as records of object use are far less common than in odontocetes. Here, we present evidence of novel object use from a first of its kind encounter between an individual humpback whale and a large lion’s mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) in the coastal waters off New England. We detail the interaction and discuss possible drivers for the behavior, with a focus on cetacean innovation, ectoparasite removal, and wound healing.

Psychological Characteristics of Play Activities for Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

В статье рассматриваются особенности игровой деятельности дошкольников с расстройствами аутистического спектра (РАС). Данная проблема является недостаточно разработанной в специальной психологии и психокоррекционной практике и очень актуальной с точки зрения оптимизации развития детей с РАС. Анализируются результаты психологических исследований по отмеченной проблеме; описывается методологический аппарат проведенного авторами эмпирического изучения особенностей игровой деятельности дошкольников с расстройствами аутистического спектра (РАС): цель, гипотеза, методики; дается качественный анализ полученных результатов. В процессе сравнения особенностей игры дошкольников с РАС с возрастными нормативами доказано, что игровая деятельность этих детей отличается своеобразием: у большинства преобладает предметно-манипулятивная деятельность; отмечаются трудности в использовании предметов-заместителей в игре, нарушения при использовании свойств игрушки; предпочитаемая игра имеет стереотипный характер, а основным побудителем для игры служит выраженный сенсорный раздражитель. Подтверждена гипотеза о том, что у дошкольников с РАС в игровой деятельности преобладают предметные манипуляции, стереотипные действия, использование игрушек не по назначению. Кроме того, у дошкольников с РАС выявлены индивидуальные особенности игровой деятельности: предпочитаемые игры и игрушки, выбираемые места для игр, наличие или отсутствие ролевой речи. Перспективы дальнейшего исследования особенностей игровой деятельности дошкольников с расстройствами аутистического спектра могут быть связаны с разработкой индивидуально ориентированных коррекционно-развивающих программ с учетом особенностей игры каждого ребенка для оптимизации его общего психического развития. The article treats the characteristics of play activities for preschool children with autism spectrum disorders. This issue of special psychology and psychocorrectional practice is under-investigated and highly relevant as a means to enhance the development of children with autism spectrum disorders. The article analyzes the results of psychological research on the issue. It describes the methodological apparatus for empirical investigation of play activities for preschool children with autism spectrum disorders: the aim, the hypothesis, the methods employed. It also provides a quality analysis of the obtained results. A comparative analysis of autistic children’s play activities and play activities of normotypical children of the same age shows that autistic children’s play activities have some peculiarities: the majority of children engage in object play, they experience difficulties with symbolic play, cannot properly use the properties of a play object, they prefer stereotypical and repetitive play activities, they engage in play activities for the physical sensation it creates. The article proves the hypothesis that preschool children with autism spectrum disorders engage in object manipulations, stereotypical activities, do not use objects the way they are intended to be used. Moreover, preschool children with autism spectrum disorders demonstrate individual peculiarities when engaged in play activities: favorite toys and games, favorite play spots, absence or presence of verbal communication during pretend play. Further investigation of play activities for preschool children with autism spectrum disorders can be associated with the development of individual correctional programs that take into consideration children’s individual play characteristics and enhance children’s psychological development.