Toy as a conditional object

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Abstract

The paper presents the review of literature devoted to research of toys. The authors’ focus is on the main function or special characteristics of a toy, that make it a toy. A toy is understood as a specifically playing object which means that it possesses the main characteristic of a play – the discrepancy between real and semantic field, i.e. it possesses conditionality. Conditionality of a play object provokes a person to attribute some meanings to the object i.e. it stimulates him to create imaginary situations. Imagination or creation of an imaginary situation is connected with the inner world, with the personal experience of a player, which a toy can only discover, but not produce. This paper presents research data that show that a toy does not develop a child by itself. For example, it cannot be a source of aggressive behavior or early sexualization, just like it cannot teach kindness and mutual assistance.

General Information

Keywords: play, toy, play materials, object substitution, play environment

Journal rubric: Developmental Psychology and Age-Related Psychology

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/jmfp.2018070408

Funding. This work was supported by grant RFBR № 18-013-01226 «Peculiarities of role substitution in the game of preschoolers with functionally specific and multifunctional material».

For citation: Ryabkova I.A., Sheina E.G. Toy as a conditional object [Elektronnyi resurs]. Sovremennaia zarubezhnaia psikhologiia = Journal of Modern Foreign Psychology, 2018. Vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 75–81. DOI: 10.17759/jmfp.2018070408. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)

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Information About the Authors

Irina A. Ryabkova, PhD in Psychology, Associate Professor, Department of Preschool Pedagogy and Psychology, Faculty of Psychology of Education, Moscow State University of Psychology & Education, Moscow State University of Psychology & Education, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2274-0432, e-mail: ibaladinskaya@gmail.com

Elena G. Sheina, lecturer at the Department of Preschool Pedagogy and Psychology, Faculty of Psychology of Education, Moscow State University of Psychology and Education, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3723-812X, e-mail: leshgp@gmail.com

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