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Precis of: BEYOND MODULARITY: A DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVE ON COGNITIVE SCIENCE

Karmiloff-Smith, Annette (1994) Precis of: BEYOND MODULARITY: A DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVE ON COGNITIVE SCIENCE.

Short Abstract:

Beyond Modularity attempts a synthesis of Fodor's anti-constructivist nativism and Piaget's anti-nativist constructivism. Contra Fodor, I argue that: (1) the study of cognitive development is essential to cognitive science, (2) the module/central processing dichotomy is too rigid, and (3) the mind does not begin with prespecified modules, but that development involves a gradual process of modularization. Contra Piaget, I argue that: (1) development rarely involves stage-like domain-general change, and (2) domain-specific predispositions give development a small but significant kickstart by focusing the infant's attention on proprietary inputs. Development does not stop at efficient learning. A fundamental aspect of human development ("Representational Redescription") is the hypothesized process by which information that is IN a cognitive system becomes progressively explicit knowledge TO that system. Development thus involves two complementary processes of progressive modularization and rendering explicit. Empirical findings on the child as linguist, physicist, mathematician, psychologist and notator are discussed in support of the theoretical framework. Each chapter concentrates first on the initial state of the infant mind/brain and on subsequent domain-specific learning in infancy and early childhood. They then go on to explore data on older children's problem solving and theory building, with particular focus on evolving cognitive flexibility. Throughout the book there is an emphasis on the status of representations underlying different capacities and on the multiple levels at which knowledge is stored and accessible. Finally, consideration is given to the need for more formal developmental models, and the Representational Redescription framework is compared with connectionist simulations of development. The concluding sections consider what is special about human cognition and offer some speculations about the status of representations underlying the structure of behavior in other species.

Long Abstract:

Beyond Modularity attempts a synthesis of Fodor's anti-constructivist nativism and Piaget's anti-nativist constructivism. Contra Fodor, I argue that: (1) the study of cognitive development is essential to cognitive science, (2) the module/central processing dichotomy is too rigid, and (3) the mind does not begin with prespecified modules, but that development involves a gradual process of modularization. Contra Piaget, I argue that: (1) development rarely involves stage-like domain-general change, and (2) domain-specific predispositions give development a small but significant kickstart by focusing the infant's attention on proprietary inputs. Development does not stop at efficient learning. A fundamental aspect of human development ("Representational Redescription") is the hypothesized process by which information that is IN a cognitive system becomes progressively explicit knowledge TO that system. Development thus involves two complementary processes of progressive modularization and rendering explicit. Empirical findings on the child as linguist, physicist, mathematician, psychologist and notator are discussed in support of the theoretical framework. Each chapter concentrates first on the initial state of the infant mind/brain and on subsequent domain-specific learning in infancy and early childhood. They then go on to explore data on older children's problem solving and theory building, with particular focus on evolving cognitive flexibility. Throughout the book there is an emphasis on the status of representations underlying different capacities and on the multiple levels at which knowledge is stored and accessible. Finally, consideration is given to the need for more formal developmental models, and the Representational Redescription framework is compared with connectionist simulations of development. The concluding sections consider what is special about human cognition and offer some speculations about the status of representations underlying the structure of behavior in other species.

Keywords:	cognitive development, connectionism, constructivism, developmental stages, Fodor, modularity, nativism, Piaget, representational redescription, species differences.
Subjects:	Psychology: Cognitive Psychology Psychology: Developmental Psychology
ID code:	bbs00000533
Deposited by:	Annette Karmiloff-Smith on 02 May 2001