For adults, ownership is nonobvious: (a) determining ownership depends more on an object's history than on perceptual cues, and (b) ownership confers special value on an object ("endowment effect"). This study examined these concepts in preschoolers (2.0-4.4) and adults (n=112). Participants saw toy sets in which 1 toy was designated as the participant's and 1 as the researcher's. Toys were the...

This paper concerns the so-called cosmological constant problem. In order to solve it, we propose a toy model providing an extension of the dimensionality of spacetime, with an additional spatial dimension which is macroscopically unobservable. The toy model introduces no corrections to most predictions of the “standard” general relativity regarding, among others, the so-called “five tests of g...

Toy designers may benefit from a universal classification system to communicate and brainstorm new toy concepts. Being able to classify types of play may also help a designer in determining whether a potential toy product has play value. We have defined four categories of play (Construction, Fantasy, Sensory, Challenge) loosely based on Piaget’s four stages of cognitive development. These four ...

A single-subject rapidly alternating treatment design was used to compare the effectiveness of bilateral hand splints and an elbow orthosis in decreasing stereotypic hand behaviors and increasing toy play in 2 children with Rett syndrome. The subjects' responses were compared across three treatment conditions: no intervention, hand splints, and elbow orthosis. The order of the treatment phases ...

Through behavioural analysis, this study investigated the social-motivational aspects of musical interaction between the child and the therapist in improvisational music therapy by measuring emotional, motivational and interpersonal responsiveness in children with autism during joint engagement episodes. The randomized controlled study (n = 10) employed a single subject comparison design in two...

Smart Toys allow an interaction with the user that goes beyond what a normal toy can provide. They possess the ability to learn from teachings by their owner, and it is by this learning process that an intimate bond is forged between the owner and their toy. This research looks at the the forces behind the learning process and the development of a physical device that can function as a Smart To...