Unlike other constructs in science that can be described both
metaphorically and literally, mind is always metaphoric. Folk psychology
allows attribution of mental states and intentions to others by analogy
with the common metaphors used in the intuitive understanding of our own
mental states and intentions given that there is some perceived similarity
between our own behavior and that of others and between the situations
within which the behaviors occur. Recent studies of human cognition,
category formation, and social skill challenge folk psychology and
demonstrate that (a) most human cognitive processes are nonconscious, (b)
many conceptual categories are derived from human biological capacities
and experience, and (c) the apparent finesse of human social skill rests
heavily on error-prone scripts. It is unlikely that folk psychology will
form the basis of a science of human psychology. Nevertheless, folk
psychological theory pervades human thinking, remembering, and perceiving
and creates a very subtle anthropomorphism that can corrupt the formation
of a science of cognitive ethology. The challenge in the study of the
minds of other animals is to avoid the seductive constructs of folk
psychology and find terms in which minds that may be different from our
own can be contemplated.
© 1991, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
C.A. Ristau (ed.) Cognitive Ethology: The Minds of Other Animals.
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Using my published and unpublished research, a description of the
development and functional significance of infant hand-use preferences is
presented. Although the character of the infant's handedness will vary
with the development of manual skill, the majority of infants maintain
stable preferences throughout the 6- to 14-month age range. As with adult
handedness, right-handedness predominates in infancy. Infants without
stable hand-use preferences show delays, when compared to infants with
stable hand-use preferences, in the development of several sensorimotor
cognitive skills. Both maternal- and infant-generated experiences
contribute to the development of handedness. Given evidence of limited
interhemispheric communication during the 1st year, infant handedness can
contribute to the development of the functional specialization of the
cerebral hemispheres.
© 1998, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Developmental Neuropsychology 14(4), 445-469
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