Hostname: page-component-686fd747b7-dj48d Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-02-13T12:15:42.300Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The notion of incommensurability can be extended to the child's developing theories of mind as well

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 May 2011

Szabolcs Kiss
Szabolcs Kiss
Affiliation:
Institute of Sociology of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1014 Budapest, Uri. u. 49., Hungary. kiss.szabolcs@t-online.hu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

In this commentary I argue that the notion of incommensurability can be extended to the child's developing theories of mind. I use Carey's concept of Quinian bootstrapping and show that this learning process can account for the acquisition of the semantics of mental terms. I suggest a distinction among three stages of acquisition and adopt the theory–theory of conceptual development.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 34 , Issue 3 , June 2011 , pp. 134 - 135
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Beckwith, R. T. (1991) The language of emotion, the emotions and nominalist bootstrapping. In: Children's theories of mind, ed. Frye, D. & Moore, Ch., pp. 77–95. Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Carey, S. (2009) The origin of concepts. Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feyerabend, P. (1962) Explanation, reduction, and empiricism. In: Scientific explanation, space, and time, ed. Feigl, H. & Maxwell, G., pp. 28–97. University of Minnesota Press.Google Scholar
Kiss, S. (2003) The problem of meaning variance of mental terms in cognitive development. In: Communication and culture. Argumentative, cognitive and linguistic perspectives, ed. Komlosi, L., Houtlosser, P. & Leezenberg, M., pp. 31–43. Sic Sat.Google Scholar
Perner, J., Baker, S. & Hutton, D. (1994) Prelief: The conceptual origins of belief and pretence. In: Early understanding of mind, ed. Lewis, C. & Mitchell, P., pp. 261–87. Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Wittgenstein, L. (1953) Philosophical investigations. Basil Blackwell.Google Scholar