The Foundations of Mind: Origins of Conceptual Thought (Oxford Series in Cognitive Development) by Jean Matter Mandler (PDF)

Description

In The Foundations of Mind, Jean Mandler presents a new theory of cognitive development in infancy, focusing on the processes through which perceptual information is transformed into concepts. Drawing on her extensive research, Mandler explores preverbal conceptualization and shows how it forms the basis for both thought and language. She also emphasizes the importance of distinguishing automatic perceptual processes from attentive conceptualization, and argues that these two kinds of learning follow different principles, so it is crucial to specify the processes required by a given task. Countering both strong nativist and empiricist views, Mandler provides a fresh and markedly different perspective on early cognitive development, painting a new picture of the abilities and accomplishments of infants and the development of the mind.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐This book is based on some of the most ingenious research that could be imagined—and yet the research is simple to follow. It has great clarity. The model that Dr. Mandler develops (fully supported by her data) provides a revolution in our ways of thinking about cognition in infants. This is not hyperbole. It really does provide a revolution. Abstract thought, however primitive, is there from before six months. This is a view so different from what has been understood across the 20th century that it is going to antagonize some. New ideas can be perplexing: and these ideas are new for researchers in both experimental and developmental psychology. This is a brilliant book. When I first heard about this research, some years back, I felt I had been picked up and shaken and placed back on my feet—-not that the possibility of abstract early cognition seemed astounding to me, but that solid data could be provided to support this possibility seemed really surprising. The data, though, are solid. I think this is the most important book to appear in many decades. If you follow the ideas presented in it, you may find your understanding of human cognition has undergone a deep sea change. Great prose, too.

⭐As noted in one review:”The perceptual/conceptual debate about the origins of meaning in the human mind continues to rage in the cognitive sciences, a debate that Mandler confronts head on. A masterful overthrow of a number of entrenched Piagetian assumptions, this eloquently written book about the conceptual capacities of young infants and the roots of language and consciousness is backed by extensive, innovative experimental data.” -Annette Karmiloff-Smith, Professor of Neurocognitive Development and Head of Neurocognitive Development Unit, Institute of Child Health, LondonThe detailed experimental data and the sheer clarity and quality of the prose make me question my beliefs about the innateness of core concepts in infants and explore further. No wonder this book won the 2006 Eleanor Maccoby Book Award. As they say, a must read for anyone interested in the roots of conceptual thought, language, and consciousness.

⭐This is a fascinating, erudite and yet very readable book. I recommend it highly to anyone interested in the development of cognitive abilities in young children. It was winner of the 2006 American Psychological Association’s Eleanor Maccoby book award for the Developmental Psychology. This is an annual prize for a book likely to have a profound effect on the field. And winner of the 2007 Best-Authored book award of the Society for Cognitive Development. In 2007, Jean Mandler was presented with the American Psychological Association’s award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions.Here is what others have said about the book:”A deep and elegant book on the puzzling problem of how we humans make the leap (if a leap is what it is) from perceiving the world to making conceptual distinctions relating to it. Jean Mandler has the necessary courage and research experience to face up to the issues that have perplexed students of mind for millennia. Her book is not only highly informative but very exciting reading. Bravo!”- Jerome S. Bruner, Research Professor of Psychology and Senior Research Fellow in Law, New York University”What are the processes by which the helpless and apparently ignorant infants of our species turn into the knowledgeable two-year-olds and twenty-two-year olds? Jean Mandler here takes important and novel steps toward a unified answer. She brings together a lifetime of sharp experimentation, acute analysis, and striking insight to provide a scientifically satisfying picture of how babies come to conceptualize the world. For anybody – parents to professors – seriously interested in the origins of human mentality, this volume is required reading.”–Lila R. Gleitman, Steven and Marcia Roth Professor of Psychology andProfessor of Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania”The perceptual/conceptual debate about the origins of meaning in the human mind continues to rage in the cognitive sciences, a debate that Mandler confronts head on. A masterful overthrow of a number of entrenched Piagetian assumptions, this eloquently written book about the conceptual capacities of young infants and the roots of language and consciousness is backed by extensive, innovative experimental data.”–Annette Karmiloff-Smith, Professor of Neurocognitive Development and Head of Neurocognitive Development Unit, Institute of Child Health, London”Mandler’s book offers a powerful new synthesis on the emergence of cognitive capacities in infancy and early childhood. It is a compelling and important treatment of the origins of higher-level thought from a cognitive science perspective. I would recommend it highly to anyone interested in cognition or cognitive development.”–Frank C. Keil, Professor of Psychology and Linguistics, Yale University

⭐This book is, simply put, terrible. The views are one-sided, the writing is casual, and the data do not support Dr. Mandler’s view. You won’t learn a thing from this book. All in all, I’d say you should spend your money on something else. Anything else.

⭐This text give new insight into our knowledge of the mind and what it means to look at the “foundations”. It may be of interest to students or researchers of neuroscience, also for those who study linguistics and language acquisition.

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