Abstract

This is a book about domain-specific cognition – the proposal that at least some human conceptual abilities are specialized for some types of contents and not for others. In this chapter we address the development of a single domain: everyday understanding of the mind. We suggest that this development is best understood as the formulation of a succession of naive theories. Moreover, this “theory theory” can help to characterize cognitive domains more generally and to explain domain-specific development. Our chapter, therefore, joins company with a number of recent discussions drawing parallels between theory change in science and cognitive development (Carey, 1985, 1988; Gopnik, 1984, 1988; Karmiloff-Smith & Inhelder, 1974; Keil, 1987; Wellman, 1985, 1990).

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ParallelsCognitive scienceDomain (mathematical analysis)CognitionEpistemologyPsychologyMathematicsPhilosophyEngineering

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Publication Info

Year
1994
Type
book-chapter
Pages
257-293
Citations
802
Access
Closed

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Alison Gopnik, Henry M. Wellman (1994). The theory theory. Cambridge University Press eBooks , 257-293. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511752902.011

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DOI
10.1017/cbo9780511752902.011