models of cognitive development

[Denis Mareschal]

Dear all,

	The following book chapter may be of interest to readers of this
list. It reviews current connectionist modelling efforts with regards to
modelling  cognitive development. The chapter situates normal and abnormal
development within the same framework and illustrates how differences in
boundary conditions (constraints) can lead to the emergence of behaviours
classified as normal or abnormal. Special attention is paid to models of
development in autistic children.

Copies of this chapter can be obtained from the following web page:
http://www.psyc.bbk.ac.uk/staff/dm.html



 Self-organization in Normal and Abnormal Cognitive Development

		Denis Mareschal & Michael S. C. Thomas

To appear in:  Kalverboer, A. F. & Gramsbergen, A. (2000). Brain and
Behaviour in Human Development A source book. Dordecht. Kluwer Academic
Publishers.



				ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses self-organization as a motor for cognitive
development. Self-organization occurs in systems with many degrees of
freedom and is ubiquitous in the brain. The principal means of
investigating the role of self-organization in cognitive development is
through connectionist computational modeling. Connectionist models are
computer models loosely based on neural information processing. We survey a
range of models of cognitive development in infants and children and
identify the constraints on self-organization that lead to the emergence of
target behaviors. A survey of connectionist models of abnormal cognitive
development illustrates how deviations in these constraints can lead to the
development of abnormal behaviors. Special attention is paid to models of
development in autistic children.

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	Dr. Denis Mareschal
	Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development
	Department of Psychology
	Birkbeck College
	University of London
	Malet St., London
	WC1E 7HX, UK
	tel +44 171 631-6582/6207
	fax +44 171 631-6312
	http://www.psyc.bbk.ac.uk/staff/dm.html
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