Toy as a conditional object

• Main Authors: Ryabkova I.A., Sheina E.G.
• Format: Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: Moscow State University of Psychology and Education 2018-12-01
• Series: Современная зарубежная психология
• Subjects: play; toy; play materials; object substitution; play environment
• Online Access: http://psyjournals.ru/files/96708/jmfp_2018_n_4_Ryabkova_Sheina.pdf

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.