Description
Book SynopsisIn Foundations of the Mind, Jean Mandler presents a new theory of cognitive development in infancy, focusing on the processes through which perceptual information is transformed into concepts. Drawing on extensive research, Mandler explores preverbal conceptualisation and shows how it forms the basis for both thought and language. She also emphasises the importance of distinguishing automatic perceptual processes from attentive conceptualisation, and argues that these two kinds of learning follow different principles, so it is crucial to specify the processes required by a given task. Countering both strong nativist and empiricist views, Mandler provides a fresh and markedly different perspective on early cognitive development, painting a new picture of the abilities and accomplishments of infants and the development of the mind.
Trade Review"Mandler's book offers a powerful new synthesis on the emergence of cognitive capacities in infancy and early childhood. It is a compelling and important treatment of the origins of higher level thought from a cognitive science perspective. I would recommend it highly to anyone interested in cognition or cognitive development." -Frank C. Keil, Professor of Psychology and Linguistics, Yale University "The perceptual/conceptual debate about the origins of meaning in the human mind continues to rage in the cognitive sciences, a debate that Mandler confronts head on. A masterful overthrow of a number of entrenched Piagetian assumptions, this eloquently written book about the conceptual capacities of young infants and the roots of language and consciousness is backed by extensive, innovative experimental data." -Annette Karmiloff-Smith, Professor of Neurocognitive Development and Head of Neurocognitive Development Unit, Institute of Child Health, London
Table of Contents1. How to Build a Baby ; 2. Piaget's Sensorimotor Infant ; 3. Kinds of Representation: Seeing and Thinking ; 4. Perceptual Meaning Analysis and Image-Schemas: The Infant as Interpreter ; 5. Some Image-Schemas and their Functions ; 6. Some Differences Between Percepts and Concepts: The Case of the Basic Level ; 7. Some Preverbal Concepts ; 8. Concepts as Induction Machines ; 9. Continuity in the Conceptual System: Acquisition, Breakdown, and Reorganization ; 10. Recall of the Past ; 11. Language Acquisition ; 12. Consciousness and Conclusions
