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Constraining constructivism: Cortical and sub-cortical constraints on learning in development

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 April 2001

Steven Quartz
Affiliation:
Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena CA 91125 steve@hss.caltech.edu
Terrence Sejnowski
Affiliation:
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Salk Institute, Department of Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla CA terry@salk.edu

Abstract

It is becoming increasingly clear that acquiring cognitive skills is feasible only with significant developmental constraints. However, recent research provides the strongest evidence to date for constructivist development. Here, we examine how these two apparently conflicting perspectives may be reconciled. Specifically, we suggest that subcortical and cortical structures possess divergent developmental strategies, with many subcortical structures satisfying Fodor's criteria for modularity. These structures constitute an early behavioral system that guides the construction of later emerging cortical structures, for which there is little evidence for modularity. Thus, we focus on how the dynamic time course of development itself implicitly constrains the emergence of cortical representations, reducing the requirement for built-in encodings of knowledge in cortical circuits, as on the traditional nativist conception.

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Author's Response
Copyright
© 2000 Cambridge University Press

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