In this text, Gordon Burghardt examines the origins and evolution of play in humans and animals. He asks what play might mean in our understanding of evolution, the brain, behavioral organization, and psychology. Is play essential to development? Is it the driving force behind behaviour?
Gordon Burghardt is Alumni Distinguished Professor in Psychology and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee. He is a coeditor of The Cognitive Animal (MIT Press, 2002).
This excellent book is the definitive contemporary treatment of play behavior. - Richard D. Johnson, Science Books & Films"