Abstract

TAVERNA, Andrea Sabina  and  PERALTA, Olga Alicia. Conceptual Development: Current Approaches to Children's Early Concept Acquisition. Psykhe [online]. 2009, vol.18, n.1, pp. 49-59. ISSN 0718-2228.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-22282009000100005.

Four current theoretical proposals about early conceptual acquisition and development are examined: nativist perspectives, associationist views, core-knowledge theories, and socio-cultural approaches. The proposals agree that concepts play an important role in children's cognitive development, but they differ in their explanation as to how these are acquired and their early development. These differences date back to classical philosophical debates about the role of nature, experience, reason, and culture in the development of knowledge. The need to revisit conceptual development with a more inclusive theoretical approach is discussed, if critical advancement towards a general theoretical approach for understanding the formation and development of concepts in early childhood is to be achieved.

Keywords : theories; concepts; development; infancy.