Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience: An Introduction

Developmental cognitive neuroscience is concerned with the relation between the growing brain and the development of mental processes. Bringing together recent advances in molecular biology, neural networks, and brain imaging, this interdisciplinary field is rapidly expanding and offers a cohesive account of the construction of the human mind. This book is the first comprehensive single-authored introduction to the field, and reviews the current state of knowledge in the context of an integrative theoretical framework within which the plasticity and maturation of the brain are analysed.

A central theme of the book is that while there is no evidence of innate cognitive representations in the cortex, the type and location of representation that subsequently emerge are constrained by several factors both intrinsic and extrinsic to the infant. Further, the elongated postnatal development of the human brain reveals a differential development of neural architecture that can be used to make predictions about sequences of cognitive development. The book also outlines a number of avenues for future research.

Mark Johnson has "Special Appointment" status at the Cognitive Development Unit and is Professor of Psychology at University College, London.