Play is a distinct feature of juvenile behaviour in many social and solitary mammals, birds and reptiles. Yet we still have limited understanding about why it is that juveniles predominantly engage in play, and what the ultimate benefits of playing are. Because of its labile nature, play has been described generally as a behaviour that (i) is not completely functional as it does not appear to contribute to immediate survival, (ii) is spontaneous, voluntary, pleasurable, rewarding and done for its own sake, (iii) is awkward, exaggerated and involves modified patterns of adult behaviour, (iv) it involves the repetition of behavioural actions during a play bout; (v) and occurs when animals are relaxed (Burghardt 2005, 2011).
Proposed functions of play have explored the idea that play conveys delayed benefits such as physical training, or establishing and maintaining relationships with group members with which an individual will interact with later in life. Thus, the juvenile gains an insight into its strengths and weaknesses, and those of its playmates, through rough and tumble forms of social play. Instead, locomotor play, which can occur in isolation or with play mates, is likely to help learning the actions necessary for predator escape/avoidance or establishing dominance.
However, very few studies have systematically tested how different forms pf play change with age, environmental conditions and parental investment (but see Carter et al. 2019 for a recent example). The overarching objective of this PhD project is to test a number of key hypotheses on the function of play. Specifically, using free ranging fallow deer fawns as a model the student will test a number of hypotheses: for example, proposed functions of play such as motor training for predator avoidance, competition with rivals, self-handicapping to learn how to deal with loss of control (such as unexpected disturbance), development of social bonds with conspecifics outside of play, and the causes and consequences of decline in play frequency with age.
The student will collect data on types of play behaviour (locomotor or social play) and the environmental conditions under which play is promoted or inhibited; will evaluate whether maternal investment in fawns, local weather conditions and contact with members of the public influence play behaviour over the first year of life. In addition, the project will examine how the size and structure of fawn social network affect the tendency to engage in play behaviour.
Candidate requirements:
Essential: A 1st or 2.1 class (honours) degree in psychology, biology, ecology, zoology or a related discipline. The ability to work independently and collaboratively in the field. Experience with fieldwork, data collection and the analysis of behavioural data.