Understanding Animal Play: Evolutionary, Behavioural, Cognitive, Affective and Welfare Perspectives

Play is a widespread yet remarkably diverse form of behaviour observed across a broad range of animal species. Once often regarded primarily as a seemingly non-functional or dispensable form of behaviour, play is increasingly recognized as potentially relevant to animals’ development, social relationships, cognition, and welfare. However, despite extensive research, fundamental questions remain about how play develops, what mechanisms underlie it, why it has evolved, and how it relates to the social, cognitive and affective lives of animals. The diversity of play across species and contexts also presents challenges for identifying common characteristics while accounting for species-specific forms and functions.Animal play can occur in various contexts, including multispecies interactions including those between animals and humans. It can involve object manipulation, locomotor activities, or combinations of these forms, as well as the expression and communication of affective states. Its occurrence and characteristics may change across development, social contexts, or environmental conditions. Understanding these patterns requires approaches that integrate behavioural observation with perspectives from cognition, affective science, neuroscience, development, evolution, and animal welfare.Aim and scopeThis Research Topic aims to bring together interdisciplinary research advancing our understanding of animal play and its behavioural, cognitive, affective, developmental, evolutionary, and welfare dimensions. We welcome research across diverse taxa and methodological approaches, from detailed behavioural descriptions and comparative studies to experimental, cognitive, physiological, and theoretical investigations.We are particularly interested in experimental research, meta-analyses and reviews addressing the mechanisms, development, functions, and consequences of play, as well as the factors that influence its expression. These questions encompass Tinbergen’s four complementary perspectives on animal behaviour: mechanisms, ontogeny, adaptive function, and phylogeny. Contributions may explore how play relates to social relationships, learning and cognitive development, motivation, emotional and affective states, individual development, or evolutionary adaptation. We also welcome research examining how environmental and social conditions shape expression and opportunities for play and how play may contribute to, or provide insights into, animal welfare and positive affective states.The Research Topic welcomes, but is not limited to, contributions addressing:1. Forms, diversity, and development of play across species, including social, object, locomotor, and other forms of play, as well as combinations of these forms. We also welcome studies of inter-species play, including playful interactions between animals and humans.2. Mechanisms and functions of play, including motivational, cognitive, social, and evolutionary perspectives, as well as the psychophysiological processes underlying play and its effects on behaviour, affect, and physiology.3. Social and ecological contexts of play, including the influence of social partners and relationships, environments, circadian rhythms, and opportunities for play.4. Play and cognition, including learning, problem-solving, behavioural flexibility, creativity, and cognitive development.5. Play and affective states, including the relationship between play, positive affective states, motivation, emotion, and other aspects of affect.6. Play and animal welfare, including the potential contribution of play opportunities and play-based enrichment to positive welfare, quality of life, and agency, as well as the use of play as an indicator of animal welfare. 7. Methodological approaches to studying play, including behavioural, physiological, cognitive, neurobiological, or computational approaches.8. Comparative and interdisciplinary perspectives that advance understanding of similarities and differences in play across taxa and contexts.By bringing together diverse approaches and taxa, this Research Topic aims to promote a more integrated understanding of animal play and encourage discussion of both established knowledge and emerging questions in the field. Topic editors: Katarína Bučková, Alina Simona Rusu, Radka Sarova Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86238/understanding-animal-play-evolutionary-behavioural-cognitive-affective-and-welfare-perspectives