Rough-and-tumble play, also called play fighting, is a form of play where participants compete with one another attempting to obtain certain advantages (such as biting or pushing the opponent onto the ground), but play in this way without the severity of genuine fighting (which rough-and-tumble play resembles). Rough-and-tumble play is one of the most common forms of play in both humans and non-human animals.[1]
It has been pointed out that despite its apparent aggressiveness, rough-and-tumble play is helpful for encouraging cooperative behavior and cultivation of social skills. For rough-and-tumble play to remain "play" (instead of spiraling into a real fight), there has to be cooperation (e.g., with participants agreeing to not actually exert forces in pretend punches). Sometimes, one participant may push or hit harder than expected, and then the other participants will have to decide whether it was an unintended mistake or a malicious transgression. Thus, rough-and-tumble play involves considerable social reasoning and judgment.[2][3]
References
edit- ^ Pellis, Sergio M; Pellis, Vivien C (1998). "Play fighting of rats in comparative perspective: a schema for neurobehavioral analyses". Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. 23 (1). Elsevier BV: 87–101. doi:10.1016/s0149-7634(97)00071-7. ISSN 0149-7634. PMID 9861614. S2CID 21761953.
- ^ Suomi, S.J. (2005). "Genetic and environmental factors influencing the expression of impulsive aggression and serotonergic functioning in rhesus monkeys". In Tremblay, Richard; Archer, John; Hartup, William W. (eds.). Developmental origins of aggression. New York: Guilford Press. pp. 63–82. ISBN 978-1-59385-110-1. OCLC 68667321.
- ^ Pellis, Sergio; Pellis, Vivien (2009). The playful brain : venturing to the limits of neuroscience. Oxford: Oneworld Press. ISBN 978-1-78074-462-9. OCLC 890932852.[page needed]
External links
edit- Rough and Tumble Play. Scholarpedia.