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Précis of Neuroconstructivism: How the Brain Constructs Cognition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 June 2008

Sylvain Sirois
Affiliation:
School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdomsylvain.sirois@manchester.ac.ukhttp://www.psych-sci.manchester.ac.uk/staff/SylvainSirois
Michael Spratling
Affiliation:
Division of Engineering, King's College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS, United Kingdom Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, School of Psychology, Birkbeck University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdommichael.spratling@kcl.ac.ukhttp://www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/pse/diveng/research/cmms/ms/
Michael S. C. Thomas
Affiliation:
Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, School of Psychology, Birkbeck University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdomm.thomas@psychology.bbk.ac.ukhttp://www.bbk.ac.uk/psyc/staff/academic/mthomas
Gert Westermann
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BPUnited Kingdom Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, School of Psychology, Birkbeck University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdomgwestermann@brookes.ac.ukhttp://www.cbcd.bbk.ac.uk/people/scientificstaff/gert/
Denis Mareschal
Affiliation:
Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, School of Psychology, Birkbeck University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdomd.mareschal@bbk.ac.ukhttp://www.bbk.ac.uk/psyc/staff/academic/dmareschal
Mark H. Johnson
Affiliation:
Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, School of Psychology, Birkbeck University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdommark.johnson@bbk.ac.ukhttp://www.bbk.ac.uk/psyc/staff/academic/mjohnson

Abstract

Neuroconstructivism: How the Brain Constructs Cognition proposes a unifying framework for the study of cognitive development that brings together (1) constructivism (which views development as the progressive elaboration of increasingly complex structures), (2) cognitive neuroscience (which aims to understand the neural mechanisms underlying behavior), and (3) computational modeling (which proposes formal and explicit specifications of information processing). The guiding principle of our approach is context dependence, within and (in contrast to Marr [1982]) between levels of organization. We propose that three mechanisms guide the emergence of representations: competition, cooperation, and chronotopy; which themselves allow for two central processes: proactivity and progressive specialization. We suggest that the main outcome of development is partial representations, distributed across distinct functional circuits. This framework is derived by examining development at the level of single neurons, brain systems, and whole organisms. We use the terms encellment, embrainment, and embodiment to describe the higher-level contextual influences that act at each of these levels of organization. To illustrate these mechanisms in operation we provide case studies in early visual perception, infant habituation, phonological development, and object representations in infancy. Three further case studies are concerned with interactions between levels of explanation: social development, atypical development and within that, developmental dyslexia. We conclude that cognitive development arises from a dynamic, contextual change in embodied neural structures leading to partial representations across multiple brain regions and timescales, in response to proactively specified physical and social environment.

Information

Type
Main Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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