"Words, Thoughts and Theories" articulates and defends the "theory theory" of cognitive and semantic development, the idea that infants and young children, like scientists, learn about the world by forming and revising theories, a view of the origins of knowledge and meaning that has broad implications for cognitive science. Alison Gopnik and Andrew Meltzoff interweave philosophical arguments and empirical data from their own and other's research. Both the philosophy and the psychology, the arguments and the data, address the same fundamental epistemological question: How do we come to understand the world around us? The theory theory has led to much research. However, this text looks at the theory in detail and to systematically contrast it with other theories. It also applies the theory to infancy and early childhood, to use the theory to provide a framework for understanding semantic development, and to demonstrate that language acquisition influences theory change in children. The authors show that children just beginning to talk are engaged in restructurings of several domains of knowledge.
These restructurings are similar to theory changes in science, and they influence children's early semantic development, since children's cognitive concerns shape and motivate their use of very early words. But, in addition, children pay attention to the language they hear around them and this too reshapes their cognition, and causes them to reorganize their theories.
"Words, Thoughts and Theories" articulates and defends the "theory theory" of cognitive and semantic development, the idea that infants and young children, like scientists, learn about the world by forming and revising theories, a view of the origins of knowledge and meaning that has broad implications for cognitive science. Alison Gopnik and Andrew Meltzoff interweave philosophical arguments and empirical data from their own and other's research. Both the philosophy and the psychology, the arguments and the data, address the same fundamental epistemological question: How do we come to understand the world around us? The theory theory has led to much research. However, this text looks at the theory in detail and to systematically contrast it with other theories. It also applies the theory to infancy and early childhood, to use the theory to provide a framework for understanding semantic development, and to demonstrate that language acquisition influences theory change in children. The authors show that children just beginning to talk are engaged in restructurings of several domains of knowledge.
These restructurings are similar to theory changes in science, and they influence children's early semantic development, since children's cognitive concerns shape and motivate their use of very early words. But, in addition, children pay attention to the language they hear around them and this too reshapes their cognition, and causes them to reorganize their theories.
The other Socratic method: Socrates's problem; Augustine's problem; a road map. Part 1 The theory theory: the scientist as child - but surely it can't really be a theory? a cognitive view of science, naturalistic epistemology and development - an evolutionary speculation, science as horticulture, objections - sociology, objections - timing and convergence, objections - magic, empirical advances, what is theory? structural features of theories, functional features of theories, dynamic features of theories, theories in childhood, theories as representations; theories, modules, and empirical generalizations - modules, theories and development, modules and development, modularity in peripheral and central processing, empirical generalization - scripts, narratives, and nets, interactions among theories, modules, and empirical generalizations, nonconceptual development - information processing and social construction. Part 2 Evidence for the theory theory: the child's theory of appearances - the adult theory, the initial theory, the paradox of invisible objects, an alternative - a theory-change account, the nine-month-old's theory, the A-not-B error as an auxiliary hypothesis, the 18-month-old's theory, other evidence for the theory theory, semantic developments - from objects permanence to perspective taking, later semantic developments - "gone" and "see", conclusion; the child's theory of action - the adult theory, the initial theory, the nine-month-old's theory, the 18-month-old's theory, other evidence for the theory theory, semantic development - "no", "uh-oh" and "there", later developments - from actions to desires, later semantic developments - "want", conclusion; the child's theory of kinds - the adult theory, categories and kinds, the initial theory, the nine-month-old's theory, the 18-month-old's theory;, other evidence for the theory theory, semantic development - the naming Spurt, later developments, conclusion. Part 3 Theories and language: language and thought - prerequisites, interactions, a theory-theory view, methodological issues - specificity and correlation, developmental relations between language and cognition, theories and constraints, crosslinguistic studies, individual-difference studies, conclusion; the Darwinian conclusion - who's afraid of semantic holism? a developmental cognitive science, computational and neurological mechanisms, after Piaget, sailing in Neurath's boat.
Words, Thoughts, and Theories is a big, powerful book, argued with enormous vigour and lucidity. There has so far been no general statement of the 'theory theory' appraoch, no attempt to show that there is a single picture of development that can be applied in many areas. This book provides exactly what is needed. It will be compulsory reading for developmental psychologists, but ought to be of interest to cognitive psychologists generally, and to the increasing number of philosophers with an interest in developmental psychology, as well as providing some quite new questions for philosophers of science. The lucid style and clarity of organization should make it widely accessible. It is a genuinely seminal work. -- John Campbell, New College This is an important and ambitious book that provides a compelling theoretical framework for understanding cognitive development. The claims are striking and turn upside-down some of our most cherished assumptions about children's thinking. It is written in a most delightful style: witty, accessible, even fun. -- Susan Gelman, University of Michigan This is one of the ablest, most persuasive expositions of the "theory theory" appraoch to cognitive development the field has yet seen. The authors' strong background in philosophy, developmental theory, and psychological research with both infants and young children equip them admirably to write such a book. they make a convincing case that this theory can both account for many existing developmental facts and also guide the search for new ones. -- John H. Flavell, Professor of Psychology, Stanford University This is an important and exciting book. Gopnik and Meltzoff argue that cognitive development should be thought of as theory change. While this claim has been advanced before, solid data to support the claim across different aspects of cognitive development have not been offered. In this book, Gopnik and Meltzoff offer a carefully reasoned, balanced, argument for their position that the early development of children's theories of object permanence/appearance, action, and kinds follows a path analygous to that of the development of scientific theories. Words, Thoughts, and Theories should be mandatory reading for anyone interested in cognitive development or cognitive change. -- Carolyn B. Mervis, Professor of Psychology, Emory University Beyond the good science that they contribute to their own idea... it is surprising and wonderful how Gopnik and Meltzoff transcend their own field to demonstratethe relevance of their research to other disciplines. -- Shaun Gallagher Journal of Consciousness Studie The book is astonishing in its scope and clarity. It successfully integrates philosophy, cognitive development, and cognitive science in away that has rarely if ever been done. The idea that childrendevelop theories which evolve and reorganize into newer and more powerful theories, like mini-scientists, is of course not new; but in Gopnik and Meltzoff's hands it received a thorough treatment, across such a wide rangeof domains. -- Simon Baron-Cohen, Lecturer in Psychopathology, Departments of Experimental Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Cambridge
Jeffrey Rosenschein is the Sam and Will Strauss Professor of Computer Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
"Beyond the good science that they contribute to their ownidea... it is surprising and wonderful how Gopnik and Meltzofftranscend their own field to demonstratethe relevance of theirresearch to other disciplines." Shaun Gallagher , Journal of Consciousness Studies "The book is astonishing in its scope and clarity. It successfullyintegrates philosophy, cognitive development, and cognitive science in away that has rarely if ever been done. The idea that childrendevelop theories which evolve and reorganize into newer and more powerfultheories, like mini-scientists, is of course not new; but in Gopnik andMeltzoff's hands it received a thorough treatment, across such a wide rangeof domains." Simon Baron-Cohen, Lecturer in Psychopathology, Departments ofExperimental Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Cambridge
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