Theories in Children and the Rest of Us

Bibliographic Data

ID10705158
AuthorsEric Schwitzgebel (0000-0003-4908-7074, University of California, Berkeley, corresponding author)
Year1996
Volume63
IssueS3
PagesS202-S210
Publication date1996-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePhilosophy of Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0031-8248 • E-ISSN: 1539-767X
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1086/289953
OpenAlexW2055652665
LanguageEN
References cited19

I offer an account of theories useful in addressing the question of whether children are young theoreticians whose development can be regarded as the product of theory change. I argue that to regard a set of propositions as a theory is to be committed to evaluating that set in terms of its explanatory power. If theory change is the substance of cognitive development, we should see patterns of affect and arousal consonant with the emergence and resolution of explanation-seeking curiosity. Affect has largely been ignored as a potential source of support or disconfirmation for the “theory theory” of development

Affect (linguistics) · Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Curiosity · Epistemology · Explanatory power · Rest (music) · Set (abstract data type) · Child and Animal Learning Development · Communication · Computer Science · Education and Critical Thinking Development · Philosophy · Philosophy and History of Science · Psychology · Social Psychology