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Philosophical Psychology

Volume 21, Issue 2, 2008

Space—The Primal Frontier? Spatial Cognition and the Origins of Concepts

Space—The Primal Frontier? Spatial Cognition and the Origins of Concepts

DOI:
10.1080/09515080801980203
Frank C. Keil*

pages 241-250

Available online: 15 Apr 2008

Abstract

The more carefully we look, the more impressive the repertoire of infant concepts seems to be. Across a wide range of tasks, infants seem to be using concepts corresponding to surprisingly high-level and abstract categories and relations. It is tempting to try to explain these abilities in terms of a core capacity in spatial cognition that emerges very early in development and then gets extended beyond reasoning about direct spatial arrays and events. Although such a spatial cognitive capacity may indeed form one valuable basis for later cognitive growth, it seems unlikely that it can be the sole or even primary explanation for either the impressive conceptual capacities of infants or the ways in which concepts develop.

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  • Citation information:
  • Available online: 15 Apr 2008

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