A Dynamic Systems Approach to the Development of Cognition and Action (Cognitive Psychology)

by Esther Thelen, Linda B. Smith

A Dynamic Systems Approach to the Development of Cognition and Action presents a comprehensive and detailed theory of early human development based on the principles of dynamic systems theory. Beginning with their own research in motor, perceptual, and cognitive development, Thelen and Smith raise fundamental questions about prevailing assumptions in the field. They propose a new theory of the development of cognition and action, unifying recent advances in dynamic systems theory with current research in neuroscience and neural development. In particular, they show how by processes of exploration and selection, multimodal experiences form the bases for self-organizing perception-action categories. Thelen and Smith offer a radical alternative to current cognitive theory, both in their emphasis on dynamic representation and in their focus on processes of change. Among the first attempt to apply complexity theory to psychology, they suggest reinterpretations of several classic issues in early cognitive development. The book is divided into three sections. The first discusses the nature of developmental processes in general terms, the second covers dynamic principles in process and mechanism, and the third looks at how a dynamic theory can be applied to enduring puzzles of development. Cognitive Psychology series

Genres: Psychology, Science, Neuroscience

402 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1994

Reviews

[Mark Longo · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book provides a great introduction to thinking of cognition in dynamic systems terms, it is incredibly myopic in its treatment of the phenomenon. The authors write as if humans were the only species on the planet and that studying learning within the lifetime of an individual were the only way to understand cognitive development. A brief analysis of learning in just about any other species would uncover cognitive development that is much more "hardwired" and stereotyped. A butterfly doesn't go through the same processes the authors describe to learn how to navigate its world, yet it navigates its world quite successfully. This is because learning processes similar to those the authors describe happen across vastly different timescales; not just within the lives of individuals but across the lives of generations. Evolution by natural selection carves the channels of interactions between neural systems which lead to both the more stereotyped behavior of other species and the basis of our own learning.