How to Build a Baby: II.

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How to Build a Baby II. Conceptual Primitives
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Goal
Mandler wants to develop a theory that addresses
how the attributes of adult concepts can be
derived from the primitives of infants. What
is the mechanism? In what format is it
represented?
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Proposal
Perceptual analysis results in redescriptions of
spatial structure in the form of
image-schemas. These are the meanings that
infants use to create concepts of objects, such
as animate and inanimate things, and relationship
concepts, such as containment and
support Constitutes a level of representation
between perception and language.
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Old view of Concept Learning
Derives from regularities in sensory
experience Basic-level perceptual similarity
classes What things look like--correlated
features
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Piagets Theory of Concept Formation
Early stages are sensori-motor schemas Concepts
emerge when sensori-motor regularities become
internalized Theoretical problems How are
schemas transformed to concepts? Imitation?
Allows imagery (represent to self) Empirical
problems Stable perceptual world by 3
months Recall possible at 8 months (versus at
end of SM)
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Mandlers Position Concept Formation by
Perceptual Analysis
Perceptual Analysis a given perceptual array is
attentively analyzed, and a new kind of
information is abstracted. New recoded in
non-perceptual form that represents a meaning.
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Mandlers Position Concept Formation by
Perceptual Analysis

• Aspects of Perceptual Analysis
• Attentive control
• Concurrent re-description
• New format
• Explicit versus implicit re-description (faces)
• New format is simpler (an abstraction)
• Optional what is attended
• 7. Innate
• 8. PA by 3-5 months (next slide)

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Mandlers Position Concept Formation by
Perceptual Analysis

• PA by 3-5 months
• Development of contemplation by 3-5 months
• Increase in VTE between 4-8 months
• Examining schema by 7 months

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Mandlers Position Image Schemas
What are they? notions such as path, up-down,
containment, force, etc. notions that are thought
to be derived from perceptual structure.
Primitive meanings Dynamic analog representations
of spatial relations and movements in
space Analog Spatial Dynamic Continuous
Change
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Mandlers Position Image Schemas
Show overhead Image schemas embed Form first
animal concept (Read 591--10) Thought without
propositions (592) Not accessible to
consciousness Provides basis for emergence of
symbolic structure
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Mandlers Position Example Image Schema
animate motion
Infants sensitive to self-starting vs.
caused Graphic 1 most primitive characterization
of what moves by itself means. Non-propositional
Animate motion (not follow a straight
line) Graphic 2
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Mandlers Position Example Image Schema
animate motion
Experiment 1-2 yrs. Old Play with animal toys
versus vehicle toys. Linear with
vehicles Non-linear with animals