Gene: I usually don't respond when someone answers questions directed
to other folks (as opposed to offering comments) but since I needed to
skim the recent literature I did so with you in mind.
Gerry wrote to Brent:
> Gerry: Brent, I'm sure you feel confident about your knoweledge in
> Psych; however I know that basics have changed in this field within
the
> past few months.
Gene commented: Could you tell us exactly what's changed in the past
few months?
Gerry here: Here's my reply:
A new title from Michael Tomasello available in January/February 2000
The Cultural Origins of Human Cognition
Michael Tomasello Our Price: £18.50
Hardcover - 272 pages (28 February, 2000)
Harvard University Press; ISBN: 0674000706
Not Yet Available: You may still order this title. We will send it to
you when
it is released by the publisher.
Amazon.co.uk
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0674000706/humannaturecom/
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0674000706/darwinanddarwini/
---------------------------------------------
Trends in Cognitive Sciences Vol. 3, No. 12, December 1999
http://www.biomednet.com/library/tics
---------------------------------------------
>From the current issue of Brain
Brain, Vol. 122, No. 11, 2015-2032, November 1999
Invited review
The genetic basis of cognition
Jonathan Flint
Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
Correspondence to: Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe
Hospital,
Oxford OX3 9DS, UK E-mail:
jf@...
The molecular characterization of single-gene disorders or chromosomal
abnormalities that result in a cognitive abnormality (predominantly
mental
retardation) and of the genetic variants responsible for variation in
intellectual abilities (such as IQ, language impairment and dyslexia) is
expected to provide new insights into the biology of human cognitive
processes.
To date this hope has not been realized. Success in finding mutations
that give
rise to mental retardation has not been matched by advances in our
understanding of how genes influence cognition. In contrast, the use of
engineered mutations in mice to study models of learning and memory has
cast
new light on the molecular basis of memory. A comparison of studies of
human
and mouse mutations indicates the limitations of current genetic
approaches to
the understanding of human cognition. It is essential to interpret a
mutation's
effect within a well-characterized neural system; mutations can be used
to
define gene function only when the mutation has an effect on a system
whose
constituents form a serial causal chain, such as the molecular
components of a
signal transduction pathway. Typically, however, genetic mutations with
a
cognitive and behavioural phenotype are characterized by specific
effects on
different systems whose inter-relationships are unknown. Genetic
approaches are
currently limited to exploring neuronal function; it is not yet clear
whether
they will throw light on how neuronal connections give rise to cognitive
processes. We need a much greater integration of different levels of
understanding of cognition in order to exploit the genetic discoveries.
In
short, a rapprochement between molecular and systems neuroscience is
required.
Full text (subscribers only):
http://brain.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/full/122/11/2015
------------------------------------------------
Also Gene, you might like to check out the discussion group: human
behavior and
evolution@...
If you have further questions, I'd be glad to answer them. BTW,
Brittanica is a great first source with which to begin an
investigation. And MIT is an incredible technological institute in
Cambridge and P.K.Kuhl's research is most impressive, but did you notice
that in her bibliography the only texts she lists are those written by
her? IMO that's a good beginning, but definitely not the definitive
word on language acquisition. And in the true meaning of "science", what
Kuhl presents is only a brief slice of the pie.
Gerry
--
Gerald Reinhart
Independent Scholar
(650) 321-7378
waluk@...
http://www.alekseevmanuscript.com