The Origin of Concepts (Oxford Series in Cognitive Development): 9780199838806: Medicine & Health Science Books @ Amazon.com

The Origin of Concepts (Oxford Series in Cognitive Development) Reprint Edition

by Susan Carey (Author)

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ISBN-13: 978-0199838806

ISBN-10: 0199838801

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Only human beings have a rich conceptual repertoire with concepts like tort, entropy, Abelian group, mannerism, icon and deconstruction. How have humans constructed these concepts? And once they have been constructed by adults, how do children acquire them? While primarily focusing on the
second question, in The Origin of Concepts , Susan Carey shows that the answers to both overlap substantially.

Carey begins by characterizing the innate starting point for conceptual development, namely systems of core cognition. Representations of core cognition are the output of dedicated input analyzers, as with perceptual representations, but these core representations differ from perceptual
representations in having more abstract contents and richer functional roles. Carey argues that the key to understanding cognitive development lies in recognizing conceptual discontinuities in which new representational systems emerge that have more expressive power than core cognition and are also
incommensurate with core cognition and other earlier representational systems. Finally, Carey fleshes out Quinian bootstrapping, a learning mechanism that has been repeatedly sketched in the literature on the history and philosophy of science. She demonstrates that Quinian bootstrapping is a major
mechanism in the construction of new representational resources over the course of childrens cognitive development.

Carey shows how developmental cognitive science resolves aspects of long-standing philosophical debates about the existence, nature, content, and format of innate knowledge. She also shows that understanding the processes of conceptual development in children illuminates the historical process by
which concepts are constructed, and transforms the way we think about philosophical problems about the nature of concepts and the relations between language and thought.

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Susan Carey is a Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. She is a renowned expert on conceptual development and is known for introducing the concept of fast mapping, whereby children learn the meanings of words after a single exposure, and for integrating work on conceptual change in the
history of science with work on conceptual change in childhood.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; Reprint edition (May 13, 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 598 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0199838801
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0199838806
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.92 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,088,734 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #391 in Mental Health (Books)
- #662 in Cognitive Psychology (Books)
- #2,590 in Medical Cognitive Psychology

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Arash Taleghani

I really wanted to like this book

Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2018

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I really wanted to like this book. I saw a lecture by Dr. Carey and was impressed by her presentation. Unfortunately, the book is very dense and difficult to read. Does anyone recommend another book that covers the subject in a lighter, more engaging way?

a classic to be!

Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2013

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Carey is an amazing writer - she explained abstract ideas and concepts in such an accessible way, and explained her theory with abundant empirical findings. Her arguments were very fair - it's completely fine if you don't agree with her; let the evidence talk.

5 people found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2015

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Great book. Highly recommend.

Jessica Gamache

Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2012

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A nice overview on a ton of work looking at the development of concepts in infants/young children. A bit dense in places, but overall a easy read even for people without much background.

3 people found this helpful

José Monserrat Neto

Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2014

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I WANT TO SEE THE TABLE CONTENTS OF AMAZON BOOKS!!!

4 people found this helpful

Gerlinde Teixeira

The Origin of Concepts (Oxford Series in Cognitive Development)

Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2012

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the book The Origin of Concepts (Oxford Series in Cognitive Development) is a good book
Should be read by all teachers

Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2011

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Great book, I recomendo.A origin of ideas is a book that every student of psychology must read. I'm fascinated by the contents of the book. It's worth paying for the book!

One person found this helpful

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