This course will consist of readings and extensive discussion of nature/nurture issues in cognitive development. For each topic, we will read often conflicting empirical studies and theoretical accounts -- which we will attempt to disentangle and resolve in class discussion. Whenever possible, we will design thought experiments intended to resolve some of the debates presently raging in this field.

There are only two requirements for this course. The first is that you read each article carefully and thoughtfully, in order to participate fully in the seminar discussions. We will have an email exchange of questions and comments about the articles prior to each class. At times, to stimulate debate, I may ask you to defend a particular theoretical positions. The second requirement is a take-home final exam, in which you will be asked to think through and integrate the issues raised during the semester. Your grade will be determined based on participation in class discussions (70%) and the final exam (30%).

September 3: Overview, logistics, and general discussion

September 10: Nature, nurture, and how to tell them apart

• Spelke, E. S., & Newport, E. L. (1998). Nativism, empiricism, and the development of knowledge (selections). In the Handbook of Child Psychology, Volume 1. New York: Wiley.
  

September 17: Of mice and modules

• Elman, J. L., et al. (1996). New perspectives on development. In Rethinking innateness: A connectionist perspective on development. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. p. 23-42.
  
• Gallistel, C. R., Brown, A. L., Carey, S., Gelman, R., & Keil, F. C. (1991). Lessons from animal learning for the study of cognitive development. In The epigenesis of mind, S. Carey and R. Gelman (Eds.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
  
• Johnson, M. (1998). The neural basis of cognitive development (selections). In the Handbook of Child Psychology, Volume 2. New York: Wiley. p. 13-41.
  

September 24: The Physical World I

• Mandler, J. (1998). Representation in infancy (selections). In the Handbook of Child Psychology, Volume 2. New York: Wiley. p. 268-273.
  
• Spelke, E. S. (1990). Principles of object perception. Cognitive Science, 14, 29-56.
  
• Spelke, E. S. (1994). Initial knowledge: Six suggestions. Cognition, 50, 431-445.
  

October 1: The Physical World II

• Diamond, A. (1991). Neuropsychological insights into the meaning of object concept development. In The epigenesis of mind, S. Carey and R. Gelman (Eds.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. p. 67-105.
  
• Munakata, Y., McClelland, J. L., Johnson, M. H., & Siegler, R. S. (1997). Rethinking infant knowledge: Towards an adaptive process account of successes and failures in object permanence. Psychological Review, 104, 686-713.
  

October 8: The Physical World III

• Baillargeon, R. (1994). How do infants learn about the physical world? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 3, 133-140.
  
• Needham, A., & Baillargeon, R. (1993). Intuitions about support in 4.5 month-old infants. Cognition, 47, 121-148.
  
• Haith, M. M., & Benson, J. B. (1998). Infant cognition (section on Physical Events). In the Handbook of Child Psychology, Volume 2. New York: Wiley. p. 235-246.
  
  

October 15: The development of causal knowledge and agency

• Cohen, L. B., & Oakes, L. M. (1993). How infants perceive a simple causal event. Developmental Psychology, 29, 421-433.
  
• Leslie, A. M. (1994). ToMM, ToBY, and Agency: Core architecture and domain specificity. In L. A. Hirschfeld & S. A. Gelman (Eds.), Mapping the mind: Domain specificity in cognition and culture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  
• Leslie, A. M., & Keeble, S. (1987). Do six-month-old infants perceive causality? Cognition, 25, 265-288.
  

October 22: Baby counting

• Starkey, P., Spelke, E. S., & Gelman, R. (1990). Numerical abstraction by human infants. Cognition, 36, 97-127;
  
• Wynn, K. (1992). Addition and subtraction by human infants. Nature, 358, 749-750.
  
• Mix, K. S., Levine, S. C., & Huttenlocher, J. (1997). Numerical abstraction in infants: Another look. Developmental Psychology, 33, 423-428;
  

October 29: Categorization and the development of conceptual knowledge

• Eimas, P. D., & Quinn, P. C. (1994). Studies on the formation of perceptually based basic-level categories in young infants. Child Development, 65, 903-917.
  
• Greco et al. (1990). Roles of function, reminding, and variability in categorization by 3-month-old infants. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition, 16, 617-633.
  
• Mandler, J. M. (1992). How to build a baby: II. Conceptual primitives. Psychological Review, 99, 587-604.
  
• Mandler, J. M., McDonough, L. (1993). Drinking and driving don't mix: inductive generalization in infancy. Cognition, 59, 307-335.
  

November 5: Origins of emotional knowledge

Guest discussion leader: Seth Pollak. Readings TBA

November 12: Infant speech and music perception

Speech papers:

• Eimas, P. D. (1991). Comment: Some effects of language acquisition on speech perception. In I. G. Mattingly and M. Studdert-Kennedy (Eds.), Modularity and the motor theory of speech perception. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. p. 91-106.
  
• Kluender, K. R. (1998). Speech perception as a tractable problem (section on the ontogeny of speech perception and categorization). In M. A. Gernsbacher (Ed.), Handbook of Psycholinguistics. Academic Press. p. 188-208.
  
• Werker, J. (1991). The ontogeny of speech perception. In I. G. Mattingly and M. Studdert-Kennedy (Eds.), Modularity and the motor theory of speech perception. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. p. 111-115.
  

Music papers:

• Krumhansl, C. L., & Jusczyk, P. W. (1990). Infants' perception of phrase structure in music. Psychological Science, 1, 70-73.
  
• Schellenberg, E. G., & Trehub, S. E. (1996). Natural musical intervals: Evidence from infant listeners. Psychological Science, 5, 272-277.
  
• Trehub, S. E., Schellenberg, E. G., & Hill, D. (1997). The origins of music perception and cognition: A developmental perspective. In I. Deliege and J. Sloboda (Eds.), Perception and cognition of music. East Sussex, UK: Psychology Press.
  

November 19: Students' choice of topic (possible topics include related issues in animal cognition, language, plasticity, learning & memory, theory of mind, and atypical development).

November 26: Thanksgiving Break

December 3: Integration: Input, architecture, and interactions

• Gelman, R., & Williams, E. M. (1998). Enabling constraints for cognitive development and learning: Domain specificity and epigenesis. In the Handbook of Child Psychology, Volume 2. New York: Wiley. p. 575-620.
  
• Jacobs, R. (1997). Nature, nurture, and the development of functional specializations: A computational approach. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 4, 299-309.
  
• Turkewitz, G., & Kenny, P. A. (1982). Limitations on input as a basis for neural organization and perceptual development: A preliminary theoretical statement. Developmental Psychobiology, 15, 357-368.
  

December 10: General discussion and wrap-up. Take-home final exam distributed.

December 14: Final exam due 5 p.m.